“And not a petticoat about the place?”
“None nearer than the kitchen.”
“He should have stayed in Edinburgh,” said Madam Flemington, laughing.
She loved Archie’s society.
“I hear that this Captain Logie is one of the most dangerous rebels in Scotland,” she went on. “If you can lay him by the heels it is a service that will not be forgotten. So far you have done mighty well, Archie.”
They had reached the gate, and she laid her hand on his arm.
“Turn back,” she said. “I must consult you. I suppose that now you will be kept for some time at Balnillo? That nest of treason, Montrose, will give you occupation, and you must stretch out the portrait to match your convenience. I am going to take advantage of it too. I shall go to Edinburgh while you are away.”
“To Edinburgh?” exclaimed Flemington.
“Why not, pray?”
“But you leave Ardguys so seldom. It is years——”