“H’m,” says he; “ye come a wee thing ahint-hand, Mr. Balfour. The bird’s flaen—we hae letten her out.”

“Miss Drummond is set free?” I cried.

“Achy!” said he. “What would we keep her for, ye ken? To hae made a steer about the bairn would has pleased naebody.”

“And where’ll she be now?” says I.

“Gude kens!” says Doig, with a shrug.

“She’ll have gone home to Lady Allardyce, I’m thinking,” said I.

“That’ll be it,” said he.

“Then I’ll gang there straight,” says I.

“But ye’ll be for a bite or ye go?” said he.

“Neither bite nor sup,” said I. “I had a good wauch of milk in by Ratho.”