CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE
I.— At Stair House, near Edinburgh, in 1768 [ 1]
II.— I go on a cruise and find a hidden treasure [ 15]
III.— The treasure becomes mine, but is claimed by its owner [ 29]
IV.— Enter Nancy Stair [ 41]
V.— I make the acquaintance of a strange child [ 53]
VI.— Nancy begins her study of the law [ 61]
VII.— I take Nancy's education in hand [ 74]
VIII.— The daft days [ 86]
IX.— Danvers becomes better acquainted with Nancy [ 105]
X.— Nancy visits his Grace of Borthwicke [ 124]
XI.— Danvers Carmichael makes a proposal [ 142]
XII.— I meet a great man [ 159]
XIII.— The duke visits Stair for the first time [ 166]
XIV.— Nancy meets her rival [ 174]
XV.— Concerning Danvers Carmichael and his Grace of Borthwicke [ 185]
XVI.— Nancy Stair arranges matters [ 204]
XVII.— "The swap o' rhyming ware" [ 213]
XVIII.— I go down to Mauchline [ 232]
XIX.— The quarrel between Danvers and Nancy [ 241]
XX.— Danvers gives us a great surprise [ 259]
XXI.— The Allisons' ball and that which followed it [ 268]
XXII.— A strange meeting [ 286]
XXIII.— A false rumor causes trouble [ 298]
XXIV.— The murder [ 307]
XXV.— The trial [ 324]
XXVI.— The defense [ 351]
XXVII.— The mists all cleared away [ 361]

NANCY STAIR

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CHAPTER I

AT STAIR HOUSE, NEAR EDINBURGH, IN 1768

By reason of a breakneck ride through the Pentlands, I entered the dining-room at Stair very late one morning to find Huey MacGrath in a state of deepest gloom waiting to serve my breakfast.

"Good morning, Huey," I said, opening The Glasgow Sentinel which had come by the post.

"Good morning, my lord," he returned, in a grudging tone.