"In spite of your training?" Dandy laughed.
"In spite of my training," Nancy answered demurely.
As we sat thus, the bright warm day passing lazily toward the twilight, I saw a figure come from one of the houses on the burn, and start at the top of speed along the ford-rift, which led through the harrowed field. As it neared the south gate I saw that it was Jamie Henderlin, who broke into our group, his pallor and anxiety forming abundant excuse for the interruption to our talk.
"Miss Nancy," he cried, "they've convicted him!"
"Convicted Lapraik?" Nancy asked, as though it were impossible.
"Yes, in an hour or less. Pitcairn had another witness—and Tod's sentenced to transportation!"
No happening which I can think of would have set Nancy Stair more plainly before Danvers than this one, which fell directly beneath his eye.
"But," she said, and her eyes blackened as she spoke, "the man is innocent."
"Every one knows it," Jamie cried; "but Meenie's like to go to the grave because of the trouble, which means naught to Pitcairn or to him called the Duke of Borthwicke."
"Ah, well, Jamie," said Nancy soothingly, "you must not worry over it. There is more than one way to circumvent Mr. Pitcairn; and a few jurymen, more or less, are nothing to fash one's soul about one way or another. Who was the new witness?"