"Ha' ye made a' right at the bridge yonder, Maclachlan?"
The young Chief's face supplied the answer.
"Ye havenae!" stormed Murray. "By gad, sir," lugging out his watch, "if you don't, in two hours from now, report all arrangements made, I'll hae ye shot by a squad of the Manchester ragabushes. Aff wi' ye, ye jawthering young fule!"
Maclachlan went off without so much as a bow to Margaret.
"Have you taken out your commission, sir?" said Murray to me, snapping the words out as though he would have them shear my head off.
"I have, my lord," I answered, forestalling the words with a correct military salute.
"Then what the blazes are you doing here?"
"My lord," I answered firmly, "by the direct commission of His Royal Highness, given to me personally, I am escorting this lady to jail."
"Then I'll forgive ye!" he retorted, and his strong face lost all its anger and found the wraith of a smile. "Dinnae be too hard on the lassie! She's ane of the right sort."
He returned my salute, bowed courteously to Margaret, and strode on