'Nothing yet, dear; the case is not finished. He has to go to Edinburgh to be tried; and we hope that something else may be found out before that time.'
'Shall we see him before he goes?'
'No, he will not come back before then.'
'Where is he?' demanded Allan.
'At present he is in the—in the County Jail,' faltered Mrs. MacGregor.
'Poor Neil,' burst from the children.
'He will be kindly treated,' interposed the doctor; 'and it is only until the case comes up in Edinburgh.'
The tears rolled over Tricksy's cheeks; and Marjorie turned away and looked out of the window.
'And now,' said the doctor cheerily, 'you must not take the matter tragically yet. We must hope for the best. Neil must stand his trial like a man, and it isn't often that a miscarriage of justice takes place. He will have the very best advice, your father and I will see to that; and you may depend upon it that some fresh evidence will turn up before then, which will show matters in an altogether different light. In the meanwhile you must not go about looking doleful, as though you had made up your minds already that Neil would not be able to show a good case for himself.'
It was hard to be cheerful; and the young folk clustered about in melancholy groups until the dog-cart arrived, when the Stewarts unwillingly took their leave, with many promises on both sides to communicate whatever might come to light in the meanwhile.