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THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
Little Schoolmate Series 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 FLORENCE CONVERSE 
 
 IN SUNNY SPAIN 
 
 By Katharine Lee Bates 
 
 UNDER GREEK SKIES 
 
 By Julia D. Dragoumis 
 
 A BOY IN EIRINN 
 
 By Padraic Colum 
 
 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 By Emma M. Green 
 
 GENEVIEVE 
 
 By Laura Spencer Portor 
 
 ELSBETH 
 
 By Margarethe Miiller 
 
._!Sb»^-7!^, -,3?. ,-...-'- \^ 
 
 tiiM^. 
 
8S«- 
 
 -sm 
 9 
 
 THE LAIRD OF 
 GLENTYRE 
 
 A STORY OF SCOTLAND 
 
 BY 
 E. M. GREEN 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 EPDUTTON & COMPANY 
 
 PUBLISHERS 
 
 es- 
 
 -$» 
 
Copyright 1914 
 By E. p. button & COMPANY 
 
TO 
 THE MANY FRIENDS IN SCOTLAND 
 
 TO WHOSE KINDNESS THIS BOOK 
 
 OWES MORE THAN THE 
 
 AUTHOR CAN 
 
 EXPRESS 
 
A LETTER TO THE ONE WHO READS 
 THIS BOOK 
 
 Dear Schoolmate: 
 
 The United States of America is often called 
 the great Melting Pot, and if you have read 
 some of my other letters in this series, about the 
 Germans, the Irish, the Spanish, the Greeks, 
 the French, perhaps you see why. All these 
 races, and more too, — Russians, Italians, 
 Scandinavians, Poles, Syrians, — have come 
 pouring into the huge American pot ; and pres- 
 ently, after the flavoring spices of new cli- 
 mates and the melting fires of love and patriot- 
 ism have done their work, a new race will come 
 out of the pot — like the genie out of the bottle 
 in the fairy tale. And you and I and all the 
 other school children will be a part of the magic 
 that helped to make that race. 
 
 Now you must not think that this way of 
 making a race of men and women is brand 
 
 vii 
 
viii THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 new, like so many other American things. 
 No ; so far as we can tell, every race was made 
 in a melting pot; but some of them, like the 
 Jews, were melted and mingled so long ago 
 that we have lost their recipe — we can only 
 guess what other peoples may have been mixed 
 together to make them. Others, like the Ital- 
 ians, we know more about. We know that 
 there was for many years a melting pot in 
 Southern Italy and Sicily, and that into it 
 there went Greeks and Arabs and Normans, 
 to mingle with the native race and make the 
 Neapolitans and Sicilians who come to us to- 
 day. 
 
 In Scotland, too, there was a melting pot, 
 and as this letter is about the Scots who came 
 to America, I must tell you something of that 
 Scottish brew which ran in the veins of some 
 of our sturdiest pioneers and some of our most 
 noted statesmen and patriots. For Ulysses S. 
 Grant had Scottish blood in his veins, and so 
 had William McKinley, and others whose 
 names I shall tell you later. 
 
A LETTER ix 
 
 The Scottish pot, as you will see by looking 
 at the map of Scotland, was a little pot ; but it 
 was fiery hot, and it boiled over more than 
 once. The Picts and Scots are the first peoples 
 of whom we know anything, in the little melt- 
 ing pot. The Picts were very early inhabi- 
 tants, and the Scots were emigrants from Ire- 
 land — which in those days was called Scotia. 
 The name of Scotland seems to have been given 
 to the united kingdom of these Picts and Scots 
 in the tenth century when it was sometimes 
 called Scotia Nova, New Scotland, to distin- 
 guish it from Ireland; just as Nova Scotia is 
 so called to-day, on the American side of the 
 Atlantic, to distinguish it from old Scotland. 
 
 But these Scots and Picts, so often at war 
 with each other, were together harassed by the 
 Briton, who came up from the south because 
 the Romans and then the Teutons crowded 
 him. Then, after the Scots and the Picts and 
 the Britons, Norwegians came sailing over the 
 sea into the melting pot, then Angles and Sax- 
 ons arrived, fleeing from Normans and Danes, 
 
X THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 and finally the Danes were added. Out of this 
 strange fighting melee the real Scotsman was 
 born ; and in his turn he has gone to new coun- 
 tries all over the world, — to Canada, to South 
 Africa, to India, to the United States of Amer- 
 ica, — to help in the forming of new nations 
 and new races. 
 
 The Scots who emigrated to the United 
 States were of two sorts : those who came di- 
 rect from Scotland, and those who came from 
 Ireland. These Scotch-Irish, as the latter are 
 called, are the ones we know most about, how- 
 ever, for they came over from Ireland in great 
 numbers at a certain time in the eighteenth 
 century; and they are as truly Scottish as the 
 ones who emigrated from the mother country. 
 They had been living in Ireland only a little 
 over a century, when they began to come to 
 America, and they had held themselves apart 
 from the native Irish, whom they chose to look 
 down upon. 
 
 It was King James I. of England and VI. of 
 Scotland who sent the Scots into Ireland. This 
 
A LETTER xi 
 
 James, you may ! remember, was heir to the 
 Scottish throne through his mother, Mary 
 Queen of Scots, and to the English throne 
 through his cousin. Queen EHzabeth. Eng- 
 land, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales were united 
 into one kingdom under him; and because he 
 was a Protestant, in religion, he wished to 
 make his whole kingdom a Protestant realm. 
 But his Irish subjects were mostly Roman 
 Catholics, as most Irish folk still are to-day, 
 so King James, in what we now consider a 
 very high-handed fashion, took away the land 
 from the native Irish chiefs in the north of Ire- 
 land, in the province of Ulster, and gave it to 
 Protestant Scots, who crossed over the narrow 
 twelve miles of channel between the Scottish 
 Lowlands and Irish Ulster and settled with 
 their families in the north of Ireland. 
 
 They had been a mountain, moorland people 
 in Scotland, shepherds and herdsmen, but in 
 Ireland they had to learn to be farmers and 
 weavers, to raise flax, and to weave both flax 
 and wool. They were practical, however, and 
 
xii THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 were soon doing well in their new homes; in- 
 deed, before they had been one hundred years 
 in Ireland they were doing so well that the 
 English grew jealous of them and complained 
 that Ireland was taking the woolen trade and 
 the linen trade away from England ; and pres- 
 ently laws were passed in Parliament hamper- 
 ing the Scotch-Irish in so many ways that 
 they packed up their belongings and set sail 
 with their families for America. 
 
 It is said that in 1718, 4,200 came to the 
 new country, and that before 1775, when the 
 American Revolution began, one-third of the 
 Protestants of Ulster had settled in the Amer- 
 ican colonies. Of course, they had to take 
 what land they could get, as the English Puri- 
 tans in the north and the English Cavaliers in 
 the south had already settled on the lands along 
 the Atlantic coast; so the Scotch-Irish went 
 inland, to central and western Massachusetts, 
 and to the frontier in Maine, Vermont and 
 New Hampshire. But the greater number 
 went to Pennsylvania and from there into Vir- 
 
A LETTER xiii 
 
 ginia, in the Shenandoah valley; and from 
 there they gradually drifted across the moun- 
 tains to Tennessee and Kentucky and down 
 into the Carolinas. Echoes of these Scottish 
 pioneers come down to us to-day in the speech 
 of the people; when we hear an ignorant 
 mother in the Kentucky mountains scolding 
 her naughty children and saying, "Behave 
 yourselves, or Clavers will get you," we know 
 that the Scots have passed that way. For the 
 "Clavers" who has become a bogy name among 
 these ignorant hill people, was the great Gra- 
 ham of Claverhouse whose deeds you may read 
 of in this story of Scotland which Miss Green 
 is to tell you presently. 
 
 The descendants of these early Scottish 
 frontiersmen are found all over the United 
 States to-day, and from their ancestors they 
 inherit those good qualities for which the 
 everyday American is so well known ; they are 
 industrious, law-abiding, courageous. Listen 
 to what William McKinley, himself a Scotch- 
 Irishman, said of them in a speech which he 
 
xiv THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 made before he was President of the United 
 States, — when he was Grovernor of Ohio: — 
 
 "Next to their intense patriotism," he said, 
 "the distinguishing characteristics of the 
 Scotch-Irish are their love of learning and their 
 love of religion. The Scotch-Irishman is the 
 ideal educator and he is the natural theolo- 
 gian." He adds that another marked charac- 
 teristic is love of home and family, and that 
 wherever this prevails there are found manly- 
 virtue, high integrity, and good citizenship. 
 And Bancroft, the historian, says, "The first 
 voice publicly raised in America to dissolve all 
 connection with Great Britain came, not from 
 the Puritans of New England, nor from the 
 planters of Virginia, nor from the Dutch of 
 New York, but from the Scotch Presbyterians." 
 Do you know whose voice this was, School- 
 mate? Who was the American patriot who 
 first publicly raised his voice to dissolve our 
 connection with Great Britain? — I shall not 
 tell you. 
 
 Of the settlers who came direct from Scot- 
 
A LETTER xv 
 
 land it is more difficult to get information, al- 
 though we know that many came. After the 
 defeat of Charles Edward, — ^the Prince Charlie 
 of whom Miss Green will tell you, — High- 
 landers began to cross the sea. Between 1763 
 and 1775 over twenty thousand Highland 
 Scots emigrated to America, to North Caro- 
 lina, Georgia, New York. And all over Can- 
 ada the Scottish people have settled ; they have 
 built the railroads and farmed the lands of 
 the great Northwest. Canada is what she is 
 to-day because of the wisdom and energy and 
 integrity of her Scotsmen, statesmen and pi- 
 oneers. 
 
 The list of the great names of Americans 
 descended from Scottish and Scotch-Irish fore- 
 fathers is too long for this letter, but I will 
 tell you a few of them, and the others you can 
 look up for yourself. 
 
 Among the early Colonial folk stands out the 
 name of the Deputy Governor of Virginia, in 
 the eighteenth century. Sir Alexander Spots- 
 wood, or Spottiswoode, as his family were 
 
xvi THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 called in Scotland. You can read about him 
 in John Esten Cooke's history of the men 
 of Virginia. He was called the Tubal Cain 
 of Old Virginia, because he built the first fur- 
 naces for the manufacture of iron. He was 
 Deputy Postmaster General of the American 
 Colonies, and his postmen used to take a week 
 to carry the mail from Philadelphia to Wil- 
 liamstown in Virginia, nearly three hundred 
 miles. We do better with our rural delivery 
 nowadays, but three hundred miles a week, in 
 the eighteenth century, was not so slow as it 
 sounds. 
 
 Among our poets, Edgar Allan Poe is of 
 Scotch-Irish descent, and among prose writers 
 we have Washington Irving, who wrote the 
 story of Rip Van Winkle and of Sleepy Hol- 
 low. But for the most part, the men of this 
 stock were not writers and poets, but men of 
 action: statesmen, generals, seamen. The 
 Scots claim Alexander Hamilton and Ulysses 
 S. Grant. The list of our Scottish and Scotch- 
 Irish presidents is long, and it includes, besides 
 
A LETTER xvii 
 
 Grant, — perhaps Lincoln, though we are not 
 sure, — Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, Zach- 
 ary Taylor, James Buchanan, Andrew John- 
 son, Chester A. Arthur, James Monroe, 
 Rutherford B. Hayes. Among great editors 
 stands Horace Greeley; among great seamen, 
 John Paul Jones and Commodore Perry. Jeff 
 Davis, the leader of the Southern Confederacy, 
 belongs among the Scotch-Irish, and so does 
 John C. Calhoun. Our modern Scots include 
 Andrew Carnegie, and Alexander Graham 
 Bell, who was born in Edinburgh. Who 
 knows what America owes to Alexander Gra- 
 ham Bell? — Speak up. Schoolmate! And 
 Thomas A. Edison and Cyrus McCormick are 
 both of Scottish blood. If you want to know 
 the names of the Scots in Canada, — ^besides 
 Lord Strathcona, — ^you can find them in a book 
 by George Bryce, called "The Scotsman in 
 Canada." 
 
 Now here is a new game: — See who can 
 make the longest list of American Scots who 
 have served their country famously. You will 
 
xviii THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 find them in Texas, in Ohio, in Virginia, all 
 over the map. They have fought our battles 
 for us, ruled our land, built up our commerce. 
 Sometimes they have done well by us, some- 
 times they have made mistakes and done ill, 
 but always they have been honest with them- 
 selves and with their fellowmen. And this 
 honesty of purpose is one of the best gifts that 
 ever found its way into a melting pot. 
 Affectionately yours, 
 
 Florence Converse. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 A Letter to the One Who Reads this Book vii 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 I Starting Northward 3 
 
 II Glentyre 14 
 
 III Queen Margaret 24 
 
 IV Noblesse Oblige 37 
 
 V For the King . 50 
 
 VI St. Andrews 64 
 
 VII Scotland Forever 73 
 
 VIII Bonnie Prince Charlie .... 84 
 
 IX The Isle of Rest 95 
 
 X Pet Marjorie 106 
 
 XI The Games 117 
 
 XII A Motor Trip 127 
 
 XIII Lost on the Moor 145 
 
 XIV The Great Secret 154 
 
 XV What Came at Last 163 
 
 XVI The Glentyre Jewels 174 
 
 XVII Edinburgh 185 
 
 XVIII Past and Present 203 
 
 XIX Fair Melrose 208 
 
 Notes 219 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 She told all her adventures .... Frontispiece 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Many scampers over the moors ...... 29 
 
 The Chaplain spoke kindly 48 
 
 Strolling sadly in the Castle 96 
 
 Malcolm pulled it 162 
 
THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 STARTING NORTHWARD 
 
 MRS. ELLISON put down her letter. 
 Then she looked across at her husband, 
 saying : — 
 
 "This seems the best arrangement for the 
 children while we are away. Here is a warm 
 invitation to Glentyre, and I think that we 
 should accept it." 
 
 "Glentyre," said Major Ellison musingly. 
 "Who is there now?" 
 
 "You may well ask, there have been so many 
 changes since the old days. The present Laird 
 is little more than a boy, who is looked after 
 by a relation universally called Aunt Effie — 
 it is she who writes, and a very kind letter it 
 
 is." 
 
 Her husband stretched out his hand for the 
 
 3 
 
4 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 letter, and read it gravely till he came near the 
 end. 
 
 " 'Jock and Jeanie,' " he read. " 'I wonder 
 if they are Scots in anything but name.' Here 
 they are ! We'll find out. What do you know 
 about Scotland, children?" 
 
 "Scotland," said Jock, frowning hard, "is 
 bounded on the north by England — no, I mean 
 the south, and — " 
 
 "Dad does not want that," interrupted 
 Jeanie, tossing back her fair hair. "Scotland 
 is the home of Burns and Sir Walter Scott and 
 Robert Louis Stevenson; it is the land of ro- 
 mance, chivalry and — I forget the other thing,, 
 but I learnt it in the last literature lesson." 
 
 "Well done, Jefinie," said her father. "Per- 
 haps patriotism was your third thing. Now 
 sit down, for we have something to tell you." 
 
 The frown had not gone out of Jock's fore- 
 head ; he knew that his father and mother were 
 going away, and he guessed that he and Jeanie 
 were to be left behind. 
 
 "Father is not as well as we want him to be," 
 
STARTING NORTHWARD 5 
 
 said Mother gently, "so he and I are going 
 abroad where the doctor hopes he will get quite 
 strong, and we think it best to leave you two 
 with some relations at my old home in Scot- 
 land." 
 
 "Can't we come with you, Mummy?" asked 
 Jeanie quickly. 
 
 "No, dear ; there are many reasons why you 
 cannot; you can best help Father to get well 
 by being happy and good in what will be your 
 home for a time, Glentyre." 
 
 "Who is there ?" asked Jock gravely. 
 
 "Aunt Effie, who will look after you both. 
 She must be rather old, but I know that you 
 will both remember that in respecting and 
 obeying her you are doing what Father and I 
 wish. Then there is the Laird, your cousin, 
 and the master of the house. You will call 
 him Neil, or Cousin Neil if he prefers it. I 
 think there is a younger boy, but perhaps he 
 is at school." 
 
 There was silence for a moment, then Jock 
 asked, — 
 
6 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 "How shall we get on with all these strange 
 people in a strange house ?" 
 
 It was his father who answered this time. 
 "Always try to do the right thing, my boy, and 
 think more of what they want than of your 
 own way. Things will be different, but a gen- 
 tleman learns to hold his tongue, and a sol- 
 dier's son is obedient. Besides, God is as near 
 in Scotland as in England." 
 
 "And there is another thing," said Mother, 
 putting an arm round each of them; "my old 
 nurse still lives there. You can go to her in 
 trouble, and she will tell you about me when I 
 was a little girl." 
 
 It seemed to the children after this that 
 everything happened very quickly; portman- 
 teaux and boxes were got out and packed, the 
 ornaments in the drawing-room were put 
 away, and the house looked desolate. 
 
 "It's all very horrid," said Jock one day; but 
 Jeanie answered lightly, — 
 
 "Oh, I don't know. I daresay we shall have 
 great fun; and after all it will not be for very 
 
STARTING NORTHWARD 7 
 
 long. Then when we come back again every- 
 thing will be just the same." 
 
 For she was too young to know that things 
 never are the same again; or th^t when they 
 came back they would bring with them 
 thoughts and interests which would make their 
 life different from what it had been in the past. 
 
 Yet, when the last evening came, it was the 
 parents who felt the parting most keenly. 
 
 *T shall often write," said their mother ?is 
 they lingered oyer the good-night, "and you 
 must write every week. Tell me everything 
 you like, dears, and talk to Aunt Effie and 
 Nurse if you are in any trouble. You will 
 enjoy the journey with Uncle Frank, and when 
 we meet again — " 
 
 Mrs. Ellison's face was hidden in Jeanie's 
 mass of hair, and it was the Major who fin- 
 ished the sentence. "When we meet again," 
 he said, " we shall all have so much to tell that 
 we shall have to take turns to speak. Bedtime, 
 darling; good-night, God bless you," and with 
 one long hug, Jeanie went off with her mother. 
 
8 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 Jock sat still, looking out into the evening 
 sky, while his father lay back wearily in his 
 long chair. 
 
 "Jock," he said, "yo" ^.re the eldest, and you 
 are a boy; you will look after her?" 
 
 "Yes," said Jock hoarsely. 
 
 "I am too tired to say all I mean, but you 
 understand, old fellow. Things won't always 
 be easy, but you won't disgrace your name. 
 They are proud of Scotland, but let them see 
 that an Englishman knows what honor means 
 also, and . . . well, just pray about things, 
 and remember all that Mother wishes. Good- 
 night, dear ; I must not talk, and you will have 
 to be up early in the morning." 
 
 Jock was very silent, but long after Jeanie 
 was asleep that night he was wide awake, star- 
 ing into the darkness, and thinking thoughts 
 he could not have put into words. 
 
 The next morning was a time of bustle and 
 excitement, for Uncle Frank arrived after 
 breakfast and took the children away from the 
 pretty house in Hampstead to King's Cross 
 
STARTING NORTHWARD 9 
 
 Station, where they took the Scottish express 
 for Edinburgh. As the taxicab sped away 
 from the door, Major and Mrs. ElUson stood 
 outside, smiling bravely and waving handker- 
 chiefs till the children were out of sight. 
 
 "Did you notice my trunk, Uncle Frank?" 
 said Jeanie. "It is quite new, bought on pur- 
 pose for me, with my very own initials on it. 
 You won't let the porters spoil it, will you?" 
 
 "I will do my best," Uncle Frank assured 
 her, "but porters are a hard-hearted race." 
 
 It was a splendid day for the journey, and 
 when at last the train had started on its great 
 northward race, it seemed to Jock that it 
 throbbed out the words, "To Scotland, to Scot- 
 land, to Scotland." 
 
 They could hardly believe that this train 
 came to Scotland every day and was accus- 
 tomed to every mile of the wonderful journey. 
 Did the guard always look out as he passed 
 Durham, at the glorious cathedral standing on 
 the hill as it had stood for so many hundreds 
 of years, and did it feel as strange to him as 
 
10 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 it did to Jock when they had rushed over the 
 Tweed by Berwick and were really in Scot- 
 land? He did not know yet how important a 
 town Berwick had been as long ago as when 
 Bruce was fighting for the crown of Scotland ; 
 he only looked at the low bridge far beneath 
 the level of the train and said to himself, "Now 
 I am in Scotland." But Uncle Frank had put 
 down his paper and glanced out. 
 
 "Berwick," he said. "Now I will tell you 
 something about Scotland. You remember 
 seeing the Coronation chair in Westminster 
 Abbey. It has on it the 'Stone of Destiny' 
 which King Edward I. brought from Scotland. 
 This Stone of Destiny on which the Kings of 
 the Scots had been crowned for eight hundred 
 years was at Scone, and there was an old 
 prophecy which said that where the Stone went 
 the Scottish crown must follow. It is thought 
 to have served Jacob for a pillow — this block 
 of red sandstone with pebbles in it. Then 
 King Edward I. took it away, and here at Ber- 
 wick they held a great council, and for a time 
 
STARTING NORTHWARD 11 
 
 the King of England ruled Scotland. Then 
 William Wallace showed the Scots what pa- 
 triotism really meant, and what it was to fight 
 not clan against clan, but all for Scotland; 
 and it took England years to make 9.ny way in 
 Scotland this time." 
 
 "All I know about William Wallace," said 
 Jeanie, "is a verse, — 
 
 Willy Wally had a cow, 
 Black and white about its brow, 
 Open the gate and let it through, 
 Willy Wally's cow. 
 
 Uncle Frank laughed and said, — 
 "It is strange how those nursery rhymes 
 generally come from something in history. 
 Now come and look out. We shall soon see 
 the sea." 
 
 No one can quickly forget the first journey 
 to Scotland, the rugged cliffs, and the waves 
 breaking on the sand, then the glorious 
 stretches of woodland; yet the children were 
 getting tired when the train ran into Waverley 
 
12 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 Station, and they were glad to jump out on the 
 platform, claim their luggage and drive 
 through the streets. 
 
 "Edinburgh is said to be the most beautiful 
 city in the world," said Uncle Frank, "but we 
 shall hardly have time to see much of it. There 
 is the Castle on the hill, and over there lies 
 Holyrood." 
 
 But as yet these places had no interest for 
 Jock and Jeanie. What seemed to them far 
 more wonderful was that when they rang the 
 bell at the house where they were to spend the 
 night, the door came open as if by itself, and 
 there was no one inside. 
 
 "A real Edinburgh flat," said Uncle Frank. 
 "It is worked by a chain on each floor; and 
 each floor is a separate house. Come up, the 
 cabman will bring the luggage." 
 
 "Come awa'in," said a kind voice as they 
 reached the first floor. "Ah, the wee anes will 
 be weary." 
 
 Too tired to take much notice of anything. 
 
STARTING NORTHWARD 13 
 
 the children were glad to have a meal and go 
 to bed. 
 
 To-morrow night they would sleep at Glen- 
 tyre, the home of the unknown relations, but 
 to-night Uncle Frank made the house like 
 home. 
 
 Far away on the deck of an outward bound 
 steamer, their father and mother looked up into 
 a starlit sky. 
 
 "They will be in bed now," she said softly; 
 "God bless them." 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 GLENTYRE 
 
 A GREAT disappointment awaited the lit- 
 tle travelers, for Uncle Frank was not 
 going to take them all the way to Glentyre. 
 He was one of the leading doctors in Edin- 
 burgh, and he found important business wait- 
 ing for him; so as a lady whom he knew was 
 traveling to the same station he put Jock and 
 Jeanie into her charge, coming to the station 
 to see them off, 
 
 "I know the porter will spoil my trunk, Uncle 
 Frank," said Jeanie dolefully. 
 
 "How would it be to leave it with me? I 
 will keep it as an ornament in my study, and 
 Mrs. Macdonald shall dust it every day." 
 
 Jeanie laughed. 
 
 "Don't make troubles, little one," he said, 
 "there are plenty in the world without making 
 them." And then the train started. 
 
 14 
 
GLENTYRE 15 
 
 The lady pointed out the glorious scenery 
 as they went along, the mountains and the 
 lochs, but they were far more interested in a 
 man in highland dress who got into the next 
 carriage at a small station. 
 
 "Your cousin will wear the kilt," said the 
 lady, and this was the first thing that made 
 them wish to see Neil. 
 
 Would he come to the station to meet them, 
 and how should they know him if there was a 
 great crowd? But when they alighted at the 
 small station, the only person on the platform 
 was an old man who scanned the children crit- 
 ically. 
 
 "Will ye be for Glentyre?" he asked, and the 
 lady assured him that they were the Laird's 
 cousins. 
 
 Outside was a rough-coated horse in an old 
 four-wheeled carriage, into which the travel- 
 ers and their luggage were packed. Then 
 they started across the moor. The old man 
 pointed out various objects of interest and gave 
 them some news, but they found him very dif- 
 
l6 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 ficult to understand, and Jeanie wished that she 
 could have got down and picked a huge bunch 
 of the lovely heather. However, they were 
 both far too shy to express any wish, and they 
 said little till suddenly they came in sight of a 
 grand old castle. 
 
 "Oh," cried Jeanie, "what place is that?" 
 
 "It's just Glentyre," said the man. 
 
 "But it's a castle," cried the little girl. 
 
 "Deed ay', a castle," said the man gravely. 
 
 Jeanie looked at Jock; they had not known 
 they were to live in a castle; in their wildest 
 dreams they had never thought of anything so 
 grand. Evidently Jock did not like the idea, 
 for he was frowning. How should he know 
 how to behave in a castle? 
 
 As the carriage drew near, the great hall 
 door was opened, and a boy came out, not much 
 bigger than Jock, followed by a large deer- 
 hound. 
 
 "Welcome to Glentyre," he said gravely. 
 "Come in; Colin will see to your things. This 
 is Bevis," and as the strangers entered the 
 
GLENTYRE 17 
 
 house, the only creature in the place they knew 
 by name was the deerhound. 
 
 In the hall was some armor; fishing-rods 
 and guns stood in the corner, antlers hung on 
 the wall, and a few skins and fur rugs lay on 
 the stone floor. The boy turned to them in 
 sudden confidence: — 
 
 "Neil cannot walk," he said. "Don't say 
 anything; he is always like that," and crossing 
 the hall he opened the door of a room, where 
 on a low sofa lay a handsome youth with bright 
 sparkling eyes. 
 
 "Welcome to Glentyre," he said, stretching 
 out his hand. "I hope you have had a good 
 journey. This is Aunt Effie." 
 
 An old lady kissed them and presently took 
 them away to see their rooms, which were 
 reached by so many passages and steps that 
 they felt sure they should never find their way 
 about. Fortunately, Nurse was a person pre- 
 pared to answer any number of questions, and 
 before they came down to tea Jock and Jeanie 
 had learned that the younger boy was named 
 
l8 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 Malcolm; that Colin who had driven them was 
 the piper ; that Neil had been on his back nearly 
 all his life, but was the cleverest and best Laird 
 in Scotland; that little Miss Margaret, their 
 mother, had slept in the room which Jeanie 
 had, and a hundred other details which inter- 
 ested them greatly. 
 
 "Then there's Mr. Forrest," said Nurse; 
 "he has rooms in the old tower near the 
 chapel." 
 
 "Who is he?" asked Jock. 
 
 "Just the chaplain," said Nurse. "You will 
 find chaplains in some of the oldest castles in 
 Scotland, — Glamis, and Ta5miouth and Glen- 
 tyre. In the days of bonnie Prince Charlie, 
 it wasn't only the Prince they fought against; 
 'twas the Church," 
 
 "But don't the Scottish people go to 
 church?" asked Jock. 
 
 "Eh, dears, how can an old woman like me 
 make you understand it ? They took away the 
 Bishops and the Abbeys, and just started a re- 
 ligion of their own. Mr. Forrest will tell ye, 
 
GLENTYRE 19 
 
 but Scotland has seen better days. But they're 
 a God-fearing folk after all," she added. 
 
 "Oh, Jock," said Jeanie as they went down 
 the great staircase, "I am sure everything will 
 be just splendid." 
 
 "I don't know," he replied cautiously, "but 
 Nurse will be a help." 
 
 After tea, Malcolm took them all over the 
 house, some of the rooms being shut up and 
 not used, with tapestry, old and torn, on the 
 walls. 
 
 "This room," said Malcolm, unbarring the 
 shutters and letting the sunlight into the long 
 apartment, "has hardly been used since Prince 
 Charlie stayed here one night. In those days," 
 he added proudly, "Glentyre was as splendid 
 as any castle in Scotland, but we gave all we 
 had for the Prince, and now there's only just 
 the house left. That was the chair," pointing 
 out a faded brocade chair with gilt legs, "in 
 which the Prince sat." 
 
 "And which was his room?" asked Jeanie. 
 "Where did he sleep?" 
 
20 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 "It is very strange," said Malcolm, "but there 
 has never been any tale of the room he slept 
 in." 
 
 Then they went up the dark, winding stair 
 in the old tower, looking out ^t the slit win- 
 dows with no glass in them, till they reached 
 the chapel. How quiet it was up here, far 
 away from any sound of life! They stood in 
 the doorway for a moment ; then turned away. 
 
 "I can show you another way down," said 
 Malcolm. "Press this spring and ?i door 
 opens. Now you see we are above the great 
 gallery and near the staircase. It must have 
 been jolly in the old days when all the house 
 was used." 
 
 Jock fancied that he could see knights and 
 men in armor thronging the long passages, 
 and he was rather glad that his bedroom was 
 close to the nursery where Jeanie slept with 
 Nurse. 
 
 They had dinner at seven in the great din- 
 ing-hall, to which Colin, the piper, wheeled 
 Neil in an invalid chair ; then he waited on them 
 
GLENTYRE 21 
 
 till dessert was placed on the table, when he 
 went out of the room, returning almost imme- 
 diately with his pipes, on which he played what 
 seemed to the visitors a remarkable tune, 
 marching round the room as the weird sounds 
 filled the air. 
 
 No one else seemed to take any notice, so 
 Jock supposed that it was part of the Scottish 
 life of which they had so much to learn; yet 
 though in some ways there was more formal- 
 ity in the house than they had known at home, 
 in other things the customs were far simpler. 
 There was no carpet in his bedroom, and it 
 was taken for granted that everyone washed 
 in cold water. Jock learned to be ready for 
 breakfast without being called after the first 
 morning, when he overslept himself and Mal- 
 colm said he had heard the English were 
 "soft." 
 
 Mr. Forrest, the chaplain, was very tall, but 
 he was quite young and not at all alarming, 
 which was a good thing, as after the first day, 
 Malcolm, Jock and Jeanie did lessons with him 
 
22 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 in his room up in the tower. The walls had 
 no paper, there was just the same rough stone 
 that there was outside, and there were so many 
 books and papers in the room that some were 
 piled on the floor. 
 
 "Shall you ever read all these books ?" asked 
 Jeanie, the first morning that they went in. 
 
 "I hope so," he said, laughing, "and I will 
 tell you about some of them, but you must be 
 very careful never to touch my books or pa- 
 pers." 
 
 "Mr, Forrest is writing a book," sa.id Mal- 
 colm impressively. 
 
 "Oh, what is it about?" asked Jeanie. "Are 
 there heaps of adventures?" 
 
 "Yes, there are heaps of adventures. It is 
 a history of the church in Scotland." 
 
 "Oh," said the little girl in a disappointed 
 voice ; she was too polite to say that she thought 
 the subject very dull. 
 
 "I will tell you a little bit of it now, and 
 when you go back to Edinburgh it will help 
 you to understand some things about the cas- 
 
GLENTYRE 23 
 
 tie. Have you read any of the history of Scot- 
 land?" 
 
 "We have read some of Tales of a Grand- 
 father," said Jock, "and Mother read us part 
 of Macbeth." 
 
 "Well, you have made a good beginning; 
 but when you are as old as I am you will find 
 out that you can never learn all that there is 
 about Scotland, for it is perhaps the most ro- 
 mantic country in the world." 
 
 "That sounds nice," said Jeanie; "I was 
 afraid it was going to be dull." 
 
 "There is very little in the world that is 
 dull," said the chaplain, "unless we make it so." 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 QUEEN MARGARET 
 
 THE chaplain's story began before the 
 Norman conquest of England in 1066, 
 in the days when Macbeth was King of the 
 Scots, having slain King Duncan, Those 
 were days of much fighting, and when King 
 Duncan's son, Malcolm, was about twenty- 
 three, he fought against Macbeth and beat him, 
 and was crowned King of the Scots at Scone 
 on the "Stone of Destiny," on which the Brit- 
 ish sovereigns are crowned to this day. 
 
 Now that William the Conqueror was King 
 of England, Edgar the Atheling could find no 
 home there, so King Malcolm invited him with 
 his mother and sisters to come to Scotland. 
 One of these sisters was named Margaret, and 
 she was very beautiful and very good ; and the 
 royal exiles came in a ship to Scotland in very 
 stormy weather, and a place near Queensferry 
 
 24 
 
QUEEN MARGARET 25 
 
 called "St. Margaret's Hope," is perhaps where 
 they landed. Margaret had been brought up 
 at the court of the King o£ Hungary, her 
 uncle. After a time King Malcolm married 
 Margaret at Dunfermline, and long after- 
 wards a famous historian wrote an account of 
 it in Latin, and this sentence shows us what 
 was thought of the Scottish Queen: — 
 
 "An ambassador came to the King with this 
 message: We saw a lady there, and by the 
 bye, from the matchless beauty of her person 
 and the ready flow of her pleasant eloquence, 
 teeming moreover as she did with all the other 
 qualities, I declare to thee, O King, her ad- 
 mirable loveliness and gentleness one must ad- 
 mire, as I deem, rather than describe." 
 
 Her chaplain, Turgot, wrote a history of 
 her life, and so we know much about her. She 
 introduced a great deal of state and magnifi- 
 cence into Court life, and she and her ladies 
 did beautiful embroidery, much of which was 
 for the Abbey of Dunfermline which she 
 founded. When Queen Margaret came, 
 
26 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 everything was to be worthy of a court, and 
 vessels of gold and silver were made for the 
 royal table. Before her time no one thought 
 anything of ceremony in Scotland; now when 
 the King rode out he was accompanied by high 
 officials. 
 
 Long before this, the old Celtic Church had 
 been in Scotland, and the Queen wished every- 
 thing in the churches to be as beautiful as it 
 was at court. Her dearest possession was a 
 "Black Rood" or cross, which was so called 
 because it was kept in a black case. The cross 
 was of gold set with diamonds, and it is said 
 to have held a bit of the true cross ; and though 
 King Edward I. carried it away to England it 
 had to be returned later. 
 
 King Malcolm could not read, but he 
 liked Margaret's books to be very beauti- 
 ful, so he had a "gospel book" of hers set 
 with jewels, and this she loved very much. 
 One day a messenger let it fall into a 
 stream, and after some search it was recov- 
 ered. But after hundreds of years this book 
 
QUEEN MARGARET 27 
 
 has been discovered lately and is in the 
 Bodleian library at Oxford. One day you will 
 read all that Malcolm and Margaret did 
 for Scotland, and how they brought the High- 
 lands and Lowlands together as they had never 
 been united before, and how they trained their 
 eight children. 
 
 Those were fighting days, and when the 
 King went south to battle, Margaret was 
 moved to Edinburgh Castle for safety, but the 
 King was slain in battle, and the Queen, whose 
 goodness made her so much beloved, died soon 
 afterwards. It had been her wish to be buried 
 at Dunfermline Abbey, but how was her body 
 to be borne through the ranks of the enemy? 
 Behold! a thick mist covered the little funeral 
 party and they got through unnoticed, and 
 there in the Abbey she had founded. Queen 
 Margaret was laid to rest, and there long after- 
 wards they brought the bones of King Mal- 
 colm to rest beside her. 
 
 "This all happened nearly nine hundred 
 years ago," said the chaplain, "and Margaret's 
 
28 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 son David founded the Abbey of 'Holy Rood/ 
 and gave 'St. Margaret's Chapel,' in the castle, 
 to the monks. You will see it when you go 
 back to Edinburgh, the little ruined chapel into 
 which so many hundreds of tourists go 
 thoughtlessly, never considering that it is holy 
 ground. There the worship of God went on 
 daily, and the Queen whose name it bears had 
 three sons who became Kings of Scotland — 
 Edgar, Alexander and David — who were re- 
 nowned for their virtues and their good rule. 
 
 "These things do not pass away — Scotland 
 is a better place to-day — ^because of the life, of 
 Queen Margaret." 
 
 Mr. Forrest paused, and Jeanie said, "I liked 
 best about her matchless beauty and the ready 
 flow of her pleasant eloquence. It would be 
 an easy thing to act if we had a few proper 
 clothes ; Malcolm could be the king, I the queen, 
 and Jock the eight children, or the attend- 
 ants." 
 
 "Thank you," said Jock. 
 
 "Well, I think you really must go now," said 
 
/^Nr5CHnPER,50VERTHEnGDBS 
 
QUEEN MARGARET 29 
 
 the chaplain, "for I have other things to at- 
 tend to. Take the ponies if you Uke, and ride 
 forth in state." 
 
 "Well," said Jock when they were down- 
 stairs, "lessons aren't much bother here." 
 
 "No," said Malcolm, "but you'll find he 
 means you to remember things. He just 
 makes all these people seem alive. Neil is the 
 same; he reads everything, and though he 
 never goes away he can describe every place. 
 Let's look in at Neil; then we might have a 
 ride." 
 
 There were three ponies at the disposal of 
 anyone who wanted them, and it never oc- 
 curred to Malcolm that his cousins were not 
 accustomed to riding. Jock was shy of pro- 
 claiming the fact, but Jeanie's "pleasant elo- 
 quence" was equal to the occasion. 
 
 "Then we'll get Colin," said Malcolm; "he 
 can teach anyone to ride in no time." 
 
 This was the beginning of many delightful 
 scampers over the moors, and before they had 
 time to be tired of the characters of King Mai- 
 
30 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 colm's court, Jeanie had a new game to pro- 
 pose. 
 
 "Let us play at water-kelpies," she cried. 
 "You know what a kelpie is, Malcolm." 
 
 "Of course I do," he said. 
 
 "I don't," said Jock. 
 
 Jeanie had acquired a wonderful number of 
 Highland stories from Nurse and Colin, to 
 whom a little girl was such a novelty in the 
 household that they were inclined to pet her. 
 
 "Well," said Jeanie, "a water-kelpie gener- 
 ally looks like a horse, ready saddled and 
 bridled, just grazing by the roadside. When 
 you come up and think what a splendid horse 
 you have found, and get on his back, he flies 
 into the air and takes you to the nearest loch, 
 into which he plunges and devours you." 
 
 "Rubbish," said Jock. 
 
 "But it's true," said Jeanie. "There was a 
 Mr. MacGregor who one day found what 
 looked like a horse on the road between Strath- 
 spey and Inverness. He drew his sword and 
 cut off part of the bit, hurting the horse at the 
 
QUEEN MARGARET 31 
 
 same time. He put the bit into his pocket, and 
 then the horse, which was really a kelpie, be- 
 gan to talk to him, and begged him to give him 
 back the bit, for this it was that gave him his 
 magic power, and without it he would die in 
 twenty-four hours. The two argued for some 
 time as they walked on to Mr. MacGregor's 
 house, outside of which the kelpie stood stamp- 
 ing and raging, declaring that Mr. Macgregor 
 and the bit should not enter the house together. 
 So Mr. MacGregor went round to the back of 
 the house and threw the bit in at a window to 
 his wife. Then he came round and told the 
 kelpie, who rushed oflF and was never seen 
 again. It must be true," ended Jeanie tri- 
 umphantly, "because Colin has seen the bit." 
 
 The only objection to this as a game was 
 that it was very difficult to get the ponies to 
 enter into the spirit of it. They were content 
 to graze by the wayside, to be caught and 
 mounted; but the kelpie-spirit was wanting, 
 and they had to be urged to sudden flight, 
 which ended when the loch was neared. 
 
32 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 "I don't believe much in your kelpies," said 
 Jock; "do you, Malcolm?" 
 
 But Malcolm was cautious. "Of course we 
 know that the ponies are not kelpies," he said, 
 "but that does not show that there never were 
 such things. Colin told me that story long 
 ago. I have always known it." 
 
 "But you have never seen a kelpie," said 
 Jock. 
 
 "There are many things I have never seen 
 yet," said Malcolm, "and you had never seen 
 Scotland till now." 
 
 There was a flash in his blue eye which kept 
 his cousin from pursuing the subject, and they 
 rode off across the moor with Bevis by their 
 side, satisfied for a time to be themselves, with- 
 out acting any of the characters, real or im- 
 aginary, in which Scotland is so rich. 
 
 Later, as they entered the house, Malcolm's 
 eye fell on a parcel. 
 
 "I say, Jock, take this to Neil, will you ? It 
 is the book he has been wanting from Edin- 
 burgh. Colin is w?iiting for me." 
 
QUEEN MARGARET 33 
 
 Jock took the parcel, glancing at the address 
 as he entered Neil's study. 
 
 "It is addressed to 'Sir Neil Graham,' " he 
 said doubtfully. 
 
 "Yes," said his cousin, "I am Sir Neil Gra- 
 ham." 
 
 "But they call you Glentyre," said Jock, 
 
 "Yes; I am the Laird of Glentyre. Strictly 
 speaking I am Neil Graham of Glentyre. In 
 Scotland we think more of the place than the 
 title. Cameron of Lochiel would be called 
 Lochiel. Each clan is a little kingdom to its 
 own retainers. Colin thinks of Glentyre as 
 the most splendid place in the world ; he would 
 rather serve us here as we are than go to Eng- 
 land for the richest post anyone could offer 
 him. Perhaps only a Scot knows all that a 
 place means to us. It is little to me to be Sir 
 Neil Graham, but a Laird of Glentyre gave 
 shelter to Bonnie Prince Charlie, and Glentyre 
 is just everything." 
 
 Jock stood still, looking down at his cousin's 
 eager face as he lay on his sofa, surrounded 
 
34 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 with books and papers. It seemed sad to him 
 that the Laird of this little kingdom could not 
 walk a step by himself, and in his boyish way 
 he tried to show his sympathy. 
 
 "Can't I help you, Neil? Shall I open this 
 parcel; and do you want all these papers to be 
 on the floor, or have they just slipped down?" 
 
 Neil laughed. 
 
 "Most of them slipped down," he said. 
 "Suppose we tidy the place a bit and make 
 things shipshape. Unless you want to be out 
 with the others." 
 
 "No," said the boy, "I would rather help 
 you." 
 
 Half the books on the floor were Waverley 
 novels, of which Jock had read three. 
 
 "Which?" asked Neil. 
 
 "The Talisman, The Monastery, and The 
 Abbot." 
 
 "Then take Rob 'Roy. He was to Scotland 
 very much what Robin Hood was to England. 
 You know the Rob Roy tartan of the McGreg- 
 
QUEEN MARGARET 35 
 
 ors; you see our history is partly written in 
 our dress." 
 
 Truth to tell, when Jock had first arrived he 
 had rather despised the kilt which his cousins 
 wore, thinking of it only as a fancy dress he 
 had seen on small boys in England. 
 
 "I like to think of the excitement when the 
 Waverley novels came out," said Neil. "No 
 one knew who wrote them, and Sir Walter 
 Scott heard the authorship discussed long be- 
 fore it was known. He wrote at an extraor- 
 dinary pace, and produced a book in no time. 
 Did you see his statue in Edinburgh?" 
 
 "Yes," said Jock, "we drove by it." 
 
 "Well, we have got his novels in order now. 
 Mr. Forrest will hardly know this room when 
 he comes back." 
 
 "Are you writing a book, too?" asked the 
 boy. 
 
 "Oh, dear no, I am only reading all the 
 books I can get, and making some notes on 
 them. Thank you, my boy; you have been a 
 
36 THE LAIRD OF GLENTyRE 
 
 help. Remember, you belong to Glentyre, 
 too," and at Neil's words Jock began to see 
 what it meant to belong to a clan. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 NOBLESSE OBLIGE 
 
 " TEANIE, where did you get that frock?" 
 
 *f Jeanie held her kilted tartan in each 
 hand and made a curtsey. 
 
 "Nurse and I managed it," she said. "Eh, 
 but I'll wear the kilt and look braw. Ge, mon, 
 ye look gey dour in your knickerbockers." 
 
 Malcolm took it seriously. 
 
 "If you like, Jock," he said, "you may have 
 the dress I've outgrown. Anyhow, you can 
 wear it for our g9.mes. Bonnie Prince Charlie 
 would never have worn your clothes." 
 
 It was a very Scottish trio that entered Mr. 
 Forrest's room that morning, and he remarked 
 on it. 
 
 "Yes," said Jeanie, "you think we are our- 
 selves, but we are not. We are Bruce, bonnie 
 Prince Charlie and Mary, Queen of Scots." 
 
 Mr. Forrest made a low bow, saying that 
 37 
 
38 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 he was much honored at so distinguished a 
 company, and then he told each of them a story 
 of the time at which he or she Hved. 
 
 "1 know what you will tell about Bruce," 
 said Jeanie ; "the story of the spider." 
 
 "No," said the chaplain, "for everyone 
 knows that." 
 
 So he told them of Bruce wandering, sad and 
 lonely, on the Scottish moors after. his foster 
 brother had been slain, and coming to a house. 
 The mistress asked him where he was going, 
 and he said that he. was a wayfarer. 
 
 "Then come in," she said, "for all wayfarers 
 are welcome for the sake of the King of the 
 Scots who to-day is a wayfarer though he will 
 one day win his kingdom." 
 
 Then Bruce told her that he was the King, 
 and at once she prepared a meal ; but as Bruce 
 was eating it there came a sound of stamping 
 feet, &nd he rose to defend the house. This 
 time, however, they were friends, not foes, Ed- 
 ward Bruce and James of Douglas, called by 
 the Scots "the good Sir James," and by the 
 
NOBLESSE OBLIGE 39 
 
 English "the Black Douglas." And for a time 
 Bruce won many victories. James continued 
 his faithful friend and strongest ally. He was 
 never "over glad for winning," and never 
 "over sad for tineing" (losing). He was, be- 
 sides, a generous foe, and once when he con- 
 sented that some French prisoners should be 
 sent home without ransom, Bruce in thanking 
 him for his generosity took from his own hand 
 an emerald ring and put it on the hand of 
 James of Douglas. This was known as "the 
 Emerald Charter." 
 
 After Bruce's death, though his body was 
 buried in Dunfermline Abbey, Scotland's royal 
 resting place, by his own wish James of Doug- 
 las carried his heart to rest in the Holy Land ; 
 but he never reached Palestine. He was slain 
 in Spain fighting against the Moors, and his 
 bones and the King's heart were brought back 
 to Scotland and buried at Melrose Abbey. To- 
 day Melrose Abbey is perhaps the most beauti- 
 ful ruin in the world, and it holds the heart of 
 the great King of the Scots. 
 
40 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 For a moment no one spoke, then Jeanie said, 
 "I am afraid my story will not be quite as splen- 
 did as that." 
 
 "I don't know," said Mr. Forrest; "there is 
 so much that is splendid about Mary, Queen 
 of Scots, that I can only tell you a little at a 
 time. The earliest story told of her is when 
 she was three years old. Cardinal Beaton, 
 dressed in his red robes, entered the room at 
 Stirling where the child was. In great terror 
 she cried out, 'Kill Redeaton! He will take 
 me away.' 
 
 "Her nurses must have sung to her the Scot- 
 tish nursery rhyme about Red Etin, the Scot- 
 tish and Irish 'Bogy-man,' " 
 
 The red Etin of Ireland 
 
 He lived in Ballygan, 
 
 He stole King Malcolm's daughter, 
 
 The King of fair Scotland; 
 
 He beats her, he binds her. 
 
 He lays on her a band. 
 
 And every day he dings her 
 
 With a bright silver wand. 
 
NOBLESSE OBLIGE 41 
 
 "When Mary was five she was taken to live 
 on an island in the Lake of Menteith, and there 
 also were the four Maries, her little friends, 
 Mary Beaton, Mary Seaton, Mary Livingston 
 and Mary Fleming. Besides her mother and 
 nurse there was a governess and one or two 
 tutors. This is a description of the little 
 Queen : 'Her shining hair, which in childhood 
 was of bright golden yellow, was bound with a 
 rose-colored satin snood; and she wore a tar- 
 tan scarf over her black silk gown, fastened 
 with a golden agrafe, engraved with the united 
 arms of Scotland and Lorraine.' Her gar- 
 den is still shown on the island at Inch- 
 mahone. That island lies in the only lake 
 in Scotland, the Lake of Menteith. This 
 is an account you will like : * 
 
 " 'What is this?' asks Dr. John Brown. 'It 
 is plainly ^he child-Queen's Garden, with her 
 little walk and its rows of box-wood, left to 
 themselves for three hundred years. Yes, 
 without doubt, here is that first garden of her 
 
 * Horse Subsecivse by John Brown, M. D. 
 
42 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 simpleness. Fancy the little, lovely, royal 
 child, with her four Maries, her play-fellows, 
 her child maids of honor, with- their little hands 
 and feet, and their innocent and happy eyes, 
 pattering about that garden all that time ago, 
 laughing, and running, and gardening as only 
 children do and can. As is well known, Mary 
 was placed by her mother in this Isle of Rest 
 before sailing from the Clyde for France. 
 There is something "that tirls the heartstrings 
 a' to the life" in standing and looking on this 
 unmistakable living relic of that strange and 
 pathetic old time. Were we Mr. Tennyson, 
 we would write an idyll of that child Queen, 
 in that garden of hers; eating her bread and 
 honey — ^getting her teaching from the holy 
 men, the monks of old, and running off in wild 
 mirth to her garden and her flowers, all uncon- 
 scious of the black, lowering thunder-cloud on 
 Ben Lomond's shoulder.' 
 
 "That is all I can tell you about Queen Mary 
 to-day, or we shall never get through half that 
 there is to do." 
 
NOBLESSE OBLIGE 43 
 
 Now Jeanie had been comparing her own 
 "shining yellow hair" with the Queen's and 
 she wanted to hear more about her, so she said 
 rather fretfully: — 
 
 "It isn't fair. Malcolm's story was much 
 nicer and longer than mine." 
 
 "Come," said the chaplain cheerfully, 
 "show that you know how a queen should be- 
 have." But Jeanie had lost her temper and 
 was beyond taking a hint. 
 
 Jock frowned at her and Malcolm looked 
 straight in front of him, but the color rushed 
 into Jeanie's face and her eloquence was any- 
 thing but pleasant. 
 
 "I don't want to hear about the Prince," she 
 said. "And I never had to do Latin at home," 
 as she saw Mr. Forrest open the Latin Gram- 
 mar, "and I won't — " 
 
 "Jeanie," interrupted the chaplain sternly, 
 "you had better go away and come back when 
 you can behave properly and say that you are 
 sorry." 
 
 The little girl was utterly taken aback; she 
 
44 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 got oflf her chair, hastened from the room and 
 rushed down the winding staircase, never stop- 
 ping till she was some way from the house, 
 when she threw herself on the ground and 
 burst into a passion of tears. Ever since her 
 arrival at Glentyre she had been made much of, 
 for a little girl was quite a novelty there. She 
 had got what she liked from old nurse and had 
 made Colin her willing slave ; she had been the 
 leader in all the games, and Neil and Aunt 
 Effie had laughed at her chatter. And now 
 Mr. Forrest had reproved her and sent her 
 away, disgracing her before the two boys. It 
 was not likely that she would go back or say 
 that she was sorry. What a terrible place 
 Glentyre was, and how much she wished that 
 she was at home ! 
 
 So she lay there among the heather, in all 
 the color and beauty of a Scottish moor in sum- 
 mer time, none of which she saw, for she was 
 thinking only of herself. She did not see the 
 glorious mass of pink heather, looking purple 
 where the clouds swept over it, nor the miles 
 
NOBLESSE OBLIGE 45 
 
 of woodland with the mountains beyond, and 
 over all a cloudless blue sky with the sun re- 
 flected in the waters of the loch. 
 
 That is the worst of a grievance, it makes 
 us blind to everything else, and at last out of 
 sheer weariness Jeanie sobbed herself asleep. 
 
 Meanwhile, in the tower room, lessons went 
 on quietly, the boys got through their declen- 
 sions, and learned a new rule in arithmetic; 
 but no one was sorry when the time came for 
 putting away the books. 
 
 Malcolm was going downstairs, when Jock 
 turned back, his honest face troubled and his 
 dark eyes dim. He was the elder and his fa- 
 ther had bidden him look after Jeanie, who had 
 so strangely forgotten herself in another's 
 house. 
 
 "I am sorry," he said bluntly, and the chap- 
 lain understood. 
 
 "I know you are, my boy, and I am sorry for 
 your sake that this has happened. Jeanie will 
 think better of it presently. Don't trouble too 
 much. Run out now and play." 
 
46 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 Jock followed his cousin, and Mr. Forrest 
 quite expected to hear footsteps come to his 
 door, but none came, and they all met at lunch- 
 eon without Jeanie's having said a word. She 
 had changed her tartan frock for one of those 
 she had brought from home, and she ate her 
 meal quietly, avoiding Mr. Forrest's glance. 
 Afterwards Neil said, — 
 
 "You boys are going fishing; Jeanie, I won- 
 der whether you would come and help me with 
 my books, it will not take long." 
 
 Jeanie felt a sudden lump in her throat as 
 she said, "Of course I will, Neil." 
 
 It was only to hand him some books and put 
 away others, and as he thanked her he ex- 
 plained many things about the books he was 
 reading. 
 
 "Oh, how can you?" she said with almost a 
 sob — "You go on being so brave and cheerful, 
 and it's too bad." 
 
 "No," he said gently, "nothing is too bad. 
 You see, Jeanie, there is so little I can do; I 
 can't walk or ride or fish or shoot or look after 
 
NOBLESSE OBLIGE 47 
 
 the place ; but at least I can be cheerful. There 
 is one thing in which I may get my chance. I 
 suppose you have not yet read anything by 
 Robert Louis Stevenson?" 
 
 "I have read Treasure Island." 
 
 "Well, one day you will read a poem of his. 
 You would not understand it all now, but it 
 begins like this : — 
 
 If I have faltered more or less 
 
 In my great task of happiness, 
 
 If I have moved among my race 
 
 And shown no glorious morning face — 
 
 Can you understand it? We help others by 
 being happy. Don't grieve over your own 
 troubles. Just thank God for everything and 
 do what you can. There, you have put one 
 book head downward; if you set it straight I 
 shall have everything for the afternoon. 
 Thank you so much," 
 
 "No, Neil," said the little girl, kneeling down 
 by the sofa, and putting her arms round his 
 neck. "I'm ever so horrid, but I won't be 
 
48 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 again. You wouldn't like me if you knew," 
 and before he could answer she was out of the 
 room and halfway up the tower stairs. 
 
 "Come in," said Mr. Forrest in answer to 
 a very gentle tap ; and Jeanie ran up to him. 
 
 "Oh," she said, "I am dreadfully, dreadfully 
 sorry. I didn't think I was going to be, 
 but I am. It was all Neil, he is just splendid, 
 he's going on showing his glorious morning 
 face, and I saw what a toad I'd been." 
 
 The chaplain spoke kindly, adding one word 
 of advice. "Shut your mouth hard, Jeanie, 
 when you feel inclined to speak in that way. 
 The feelings will pass, and it is a great thing to 
 have kept silent." 
 
 "And you'll never want to pretend with me 
 again ?" 
 
 "On the contrary, I have just got Aunt Ef- 
 fie's consent to your having the steward's little 
 girls this afternoon for a game. There are 
 only two of them, but when once you pretend, 
 it's as easy for them to be the four Maries as 
 
NOBLESSE OBLIGE 49 
 
 it is for you to be the Queen. Now shall we 
 come to Macrae and fetch them?" 
 
 Jeanie gave a cry of delight. 
 
 "You are the most forgivingest person I 
 ever knew," she said. "We shall pretend that 
 you are all the Bishops living up here, and per- 
 haps Bruce and Prince Charlie too." 
 
 "I will lend you this book," he said, "only 
 don't drop it into the loch or leave it out. You 
 can get heaps of games out of it." * 
 
 *The book was "True Romances of Scotland." By E. 
 Maxtone Graham and E. Paterson. (Blackwoods, Edin- 
 burgh,) which makes every reader long to visit Scotland. 
 
CHAPTER V, 
 
 FOR THE KING 
 
 JOCK became an ardent fisherman, little 
 guessing how much the fish they caught 
 were reckoned on for the meals; and when 
 Colin was satisfied with his skill on the river 
 he took him out shooting, letting him fire a few 
 shots while he stood by. It was only by de- 
 grees that it dawned on the boy how much 
 Colin did; he was piper, coachman, gardener, 
 gamekeeper, butler and valet; and was some- 
 times known to turn his hand to cooking. 
 
 Besides a strong girl who was always scrub- 
 bing the kitchen if Jeanie looked in, Jeanie 
 could discover no other servant except Nurse. 
 
 Aunt Effie spent the morning housekeeping, 
 but if the English visitors had been with her 
 they would have seen that she did many things, 
 from cooking a meal to dusting a room. Prob- 
 ably this was why later in the day she often 
 
 50 
 
FOR THE KING 51 
 
 rested quietly in her room, and seldom went 
 out. At dinner in the evening she always 
 wore a black velvet dress and lace cap, and sat 
 at the end of the table with as much dignity 
 as if all the ancient splendor of Glentyre sur- 
 rounded her. 
 
 For many evenings Jeanie watched anx- 
 iously to see what joint would appear, and when 
 she had almost given up hope of anything but 
 game or rabbit, one day to her joy there was a 
 leg of mutton. As soon as she could find her 
 aunt alone afterwards, she said eagerly, — 
 
 "Oh, Aunt Effie, will you lend me the leg of 
 mutton to-morrow?" 
 
 "Lend you the leg of mutton! My dear 
 child, what in the world for ?" 
 
 "Oh, Aunt EfEe, we won't hurt it in the least. 
 If you like we will have it all indoors and you 
 can look on, only do lend it to us." 
 
 Perhaps Aunt Effie guessed, for she prom- 
 ised it on condition that whatever happened 
 should take place before them all in the even- 
 ing. 
 
52 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 The next day was a time of great prepara- 
 tion and secrecy and about half-an-hour be- 
 fore dinner everyone was summoned to the din- 
 ing-hall to see something. Colin and Nurse 
 managed to be by the sideboard to watch the 
 proceedings. 
 
 Jeanie in a long dress with lace ruffles sat 
 at the end of the table, on her nose spectacles 
 which remained there with great difficulty. 
 She looked anxiously at the door till it opened 
 to admit Mr. Forrest wearing a helmet and 
 carrying a sword, leading Malcolm, clad in a 
 dressing-gown which he wore inside out, show- 
 ing its scarlet lining, while Jock walked on the 
 other side, also carrying a sword and wearing 
 a helmet which hid his face. 
 
 The chaplain bowed to Jeanie saying, "This, 
 madam, is our prisoner, the Marquis of Mont- 
 rose." 
 
 Jeanie endeavored to rise to her feet, but as 
 she was mounted on a high chair she would 
 have looked much shorter standing, to say 
 nothing of the fact that the long skirt was 
 
FOR THE KING 53 
 
 clinging round her feet; so she remained where 
 she was, bowing low and saying, "Welcome, 
 noble sir." 
 
 Malcolni stifled his inclination to giggle, held 
 the chaplain's hat against his breast and bowed. 
 
 "I pray thee be seated, fair Marquis," said 
 Jeanie, pointing to the chair beside her, but the 
 chaplain (in the person of Captain Holbourne) 
 disregarded his hostess and installed Montrose 
 between himself and Jock, who, nearly stifled 
 by his helmet, was feeling his way to his chair. 
 
 Now came the moment which Jeanie had an- 
 ticipated with so much delight. 
 
 She seized the leg of mutton in her hands 
 and brandished it at Captain Holbourne's 
 head, which he considerately held as low as 
 possible or she could not have reached it. Her 
 voice rose so as to fill the room, and Colin heard 
 it with proud delight. 
 
 "Although the Marquis is a prisoner, I am 
 the more resolved to support his rank when un- 
 fortunate, than if he had been victorious. In 
 my house no one can take precedence of him." 
 
54 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 A final swing of the joint towards the sol- 
 dier made Bevis wonder whether he was to 
 have a share in the proceedings, so he came up 
 with an inquiring sniff. 
 
 "Bravo, Mrs. Gray," said Neil, "yo" are 
 worthy of the Castle of Skibo. I should have 
 made Mr. Forrest Montrose, and belabored 
 Malcolm on the head. You would have 
 reached him better." 
 
 "That's what we meant, first, but the dress- 
 ing gown was too small, and the helmets are 
 so big. Did you like it ? Thank you so much 
 for the leg of mutton. Aunt Effie. We waited 
 so long for one that I was afraid I should let 
 the secret out." 
 
 "You have done it very well," said Aunt 
 Effie, "and after dinner I will ask Mr. Forrest 
 to sing the "Love Song" which Montrose 
 wrote, for he was as great a poet as he was a 
 soldier." 
 
 When the time came. Aunt Effie sat down 
 to the old-fashioned spinnet, in the library, and 
 played the accompaniment which requires no 
 
FOR THE KING $5 
 
 mean musician, while the chaplain sang the 
 famous song of one of the greatest characters 
 in history: — 
 
 My dear and only love, I pray 
 
 This little world of thee 
 
 Be governed by no other sway 
 
 But purest monarchie; 
 
 For if confusion have a part. 
 
 Which virtuous souls abhor, 
 
 I'll call a synod in my heart 
 
 And never love thee more. 
 
 As Alexander I will reign. 
 
 And I will reign alone; 
 
 Thy thoughts did evermore disdain 
 
 A rival on my throne. 
 
 He either fears his fate too much 
 
 Or his deserts are small, 
 
 Who dares not put it to the touch 
 
 To gain or lose it all. 
 
 The golden laws of love shall be 
 Upon this pillar hung, 
 A simple heart, a single eye, 
 A true and constant tongue. 
 
56 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 Let no man for more love pretend 
 Than he has heart in store; 
 True love begun shall never end, — 
 Love one and love no more. 
 
 But if no faithless action stain 
 
 Thy true and constant word, 
 
 I'll make thee glorious by my pen 
 
 And famous by my sword. 
 
 I'll serve thee in such noble ways 
 
 Were never known before; 
 
 I'll deck and crown thy head with bays, 
 
 And love thee more and more. 
 
 The music had been so rapid, the voice so 
 impassioned that no one spoke for a moment, 
 then Neil murmured his thanks. Evidently the 
 three elders had gone back to the days of Mont- 
 rose and forgotten all else. 
 
 "The more I study his history," said Mr. 
 Forrest, "the more I am struck with the many 
 sides of his character; perfect in courtesy and 
 honor, invincible in arms, a scholar, poet and 
 Christian gentleman, he is perhaps greatest of 
 
FOR THE KING 57 
 
 all in never having his spirit crushed by de- 
 feat." 
 
 "Yes," said Neil, his eyes kindling, "do you 
 remember when he was dressing for his execu- 
 tion his jailer asked him, 'Why is James 
 Graham so careful of his looks?' and he re- 
 plied, 'My head is still my own. I will arrange 
 it to my taste. To-night when it will be yours, 
 treat it as you please.' " 
 
 "I have often wondered," said Aunt Effie, 
 "if there is any country in the world where so 
 much charm and courage have been combined 
 as in the chief characters in Scotland — Bruce, 
 Queen Mary, Montrose, and Prince Charlie." 
 
 "I doubt it," said the chaplain. 
 
 "Tell the children, to-morrow, how Mont- 
 rose went to his execution. We are Gra- 
 hams," said the old lady proudly, "and it is well 
 that they should know all about the greatest of 
 the clan. You must go to bed now, dears. 
 You have given us a very pleasant even- 
 ing." 
 
58 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 As they went upstairs, Jock said to Mal- 
 colm, — 
 
 "I think Neil is rather like Montrose, don't 
 you?" 
 
 "Yes," said the boy simply, "I have always 
 thought so." 
 
 The next day Mr, Forrest gave his pupils 
 the outline of Montrose's life, showing how 
 his purpose was to save Scotland for King 
 Charles I. How in this attempt he started with 
 only two companions, Sir William RoUo and 
 Colonel Sibbald, to raise an army in the High- 
 lands. He told them how at the battle of Tip- 
 permuir Montrose's army had three horses, 
 and two thousand men, and each man had one 
 round of ammunition, to fight against eight 
 thousand well equipped infantry of the Cove- 
 nanters, with sixteen troop of horse and nine 
 pieces of cannon. Montrose's final order 
 was: — 
 
 "Spare your powder until you can fire right 
 into the teeth of the enemy, with the front-rank 
 kneeling, the second stooping, the third stand- 
 
FOR THE KING 59 
 
 ing, then charge in the name of God and the 
 King." 
 
 This was done, and Montrose's army was 
 entirely victorious, Tippermuir being the first 
 of six victories and Kilsyth the last, where to 
 show their contempt for their enemies, Argyll's 
 men, the Highlanders fought in their shirts. 
 
 Montrose was the popular hero of the day, 
 songs were made about him; he had entered 
 Scotland alone, raised an army and inspired 
 it with his own devoted loyalty to the King. 
 Everywhere he left the tradition of heroic 
 courage and personal charm. But when news 
 came of the execution of the King, the spring 
 of action was gone, Montrose was a broken- 
 hearted man. There were terrible days and 
 nights in which he wandered in the Highlands 
 half-starved, pursued, and at last betrayed and 
 sold by Macleod of Assynt. 
 
 "Then came the scene which you acted last 
 night, as Holbourne conducted Montrose to 
 Edinburgh. Outside the gate of Edinburgh 
 the death-sentence was read. Jeanie," said the 
 
6o THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 chaplain, "give me the True Romances' which 
 I lent you. I will read the description given 
 there : — 'He was now mounted upon a cart and 
 conducted the whole length of Edinburgh. 
 The "historic mile"— that length of street that 
 rises from the Palace of Holyrood to the castle 
 that crowns that great rock — was thronged 
 with a mighty concourse. Many heroes, trait- 
 ors, criminals, had passed up and down that 
 steep, irregular street, but never so noble, so 
 composed a prisoner. Urged and encouraged 
 to be ready to offer any insult, any violence, 
 to the traitor James Graham, and worked up 
 to a fury of rage and excitement, the populace 
 shouted as the procession approached. But 
 when the sad and noble figure of Montrose was 
 in their midst, the cursing and reviling died 
 away, a deep hush fell upon the swaying crowd. 
 Seated in the rough cart, bareheaded and pale, 
 utterly at the mercy of his foes, he yet was a 
 king among men, full of a strange dignity that 
 lifted him above his fellows.' Argyll watched 
 the procession from the balcony of Moray 
 
FOR THE KING 6l 
 
 House. Later, Montrose was brought before 
 the Lords of Parliament, and before the sen- 
 tence was read he said : — 'I desire to be used by 
 you as a Christian man, to whom many among 
 you are indebted for Ufe and property, when 
 by the fortune of war both were at my mercy. 
 Proceed with me, my Lords, according to the 
 laws of Heaven, of nature, and of nations, but 
 chiefly those of our native Scotland; judging 
 as you shall one day expect to be judged, when 
 standing at the bar of Almighty God.' He 
 died the next day, having written out a dying 
 speech which was thrown into the crowd. The 
 document is still in existence; it ends thus: — 
 " 'What I did in this Kingdom was in obedi- 
 ence to the most just command of my sovereign 
 and in his defense in the day of his distress 
 against those who rose up against him. I ac- 
 knowledge nothing, but fear God and honor the 
 King. . . . For the late King, he lived a saint 
 and died a martyr. I pray God I may end as 
 he did. If ever I should wish my soul in an- 
 other man's stead, it should be in his. ... I 
 
62 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 have no more to say but that I desire your 
 charity and prayers. And I shall pray for you 
 all. I leave my soul to God, my service to my 
 Prince, my good will to my friends, my love 
 and charity to you all.' After his death, his 
 body was disgraced and scattered to various 
 places, but ten years later his bones were gath- 
 ered and buried in St. Giles' at Edinburgh with 
 every sign of respect and admiration. There, 
 to-day, you see the monument which Scotland 
 raised to his honor, the beautiful calm figure 
 holding the gilded sword. 'Beneath that per- 
 fect marble rest the remains of Montrose, but 
 his real monument is in the hearts of the Scot- 
 tish people. He has left as an inheritance to 
 his race the spirit of a true patriot, a lofty 
 standard of soldierly honor, and immortal tra- 
 ditions of chivalrous loyalty.' " 
 
 The chaplain's voice ceased and for a mo- 
 ment the only sound was the pleasant summer 
 song of birds and hum of insects outside ; then 
 Jeanie said, thinking of her cousins : — 
 
FOR THE KING 63 
 
 "It is a great honor to be a Graham, isn't 
 it?" 
 
 "Yes," said the Chaplain, "an honor which 
 you all share ; but remember it is also a respon- 
 sibility." 
 
 "Perhaps," said Malcolm quaintly, "that is 
 why our motto is Ne oublie." 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 ST. ANDREWS 
 
 VISITORS were not very frequent at Glen- 
 t)Te, and fortunately their approach was 
 generally seen while they were a long way off, 
 which gave Colin time to leave the peat he was 
 stacking or the wood he was cutting and wash 
 his hands, ready to open the door as if the re- 
 ceiving of visitors were his only occupation 
 all day. Or if he were away Malcolm would 
 be strolling near the house and bring them 
 in. 
 
 One day a certain Mr. Murray called, a spe- 
 cial friend of Neil's, and while he was taken 
 into the study his two daughters were left in 
 the library, whither Jeanie had escorted them, 
 knowing that Malcolm and Colin were out fish- 
 ing. 
 
 "Aunt Effie will be back in a minute," said 
 64 
 
ST. ANDREWS 65 
 
 the little girl, feeling that she must entertain 
 the guests, and at that moment Mr. Forrest 
 went by the window. 
 
 "Who is that?" asked one of the girls, re- 
 gardless of Jeanie, whom she considered too 
 young to notice anything. 
 
 "The chaplain, I suppose," said the other. 
 "The Laird pf Glentyre is an Episcopalian, you 
 know." 
 
 The color rushed into Jeanie's face, but for 
 a moment she set her teeth firmly and was si- 
 lent ; then she slid from her chair and stood in 
 front of the last speaker, her blue eyes indig- 
 nant, her hands clenched in her effort to keep 
 calm. 
 
 "P'raps you didn't notice me," she said, "but 
 I'm the Laird's cousin, and I don't think you 
 ought to call him names before me. I don't 
 mean to be rude, but I don't think you should 
 call him names in his own house when he can't 
 be here because he is so afflicted, but he's just 
 the cleverest, splendidest laird in all Scotland, 
 with his glorious morning face." 
 
66 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 She ended with something Uke a sob, and the 
 young lady began to explain. 
 
 "I really did not call him names," she said. 
 "I wouldn't do such a thing for the world. 
 Ask the chaplain to explain what I meant," she 
 added hurriedly as Aunt Effie came back; and 
 unable to bear another word Jeanie slipped out 
 of the room and rushed up the tower staircase. 
 
 "What is the matter ?" asked Mr. Forrest as 
 she sank down, a small disconsolate heap on the 
 hearthrug and covered her face with her hands. 
 
 "Oh," she gasped, trying hard not to cry, 
 "I can't bear it — to insult Neil in his own castle, 
 and he a Montrose." 
 
 "Who has insulted Neil?" said Mr. Forrest 
 quickly. 
 
 "Those ladies downstairs — I'm not telling 
 tales, because they told me to ask you." 
 
 "Well, try to speak slowly, and tell me what 
 happened." 
 
 "It was just as you went by the window," 
 said Jeanie, catching her breath, "one of them 
 
ST. ANDREWS 67 
 
 said 'The Laird is a pigsty paling.' * I remem- 
 bered what you said and I shut my mouth hard, 
 but you see this was different. It wasn't me, 
 it was Neil. I tried not to be rude, but I said 
 I was his cousin and I didn't think they should 
 call him names because he was afflicted, and 
 he was the best laird in Scotland, Nurse says 
 so, and — " 
 
 It took the chaplain some shutting of his 
 mouth to keep from laughing; he would not 
 speak till he could do so gravely; now he broke 
 in,— 
 
 "Yes, Jeanie, I quite understand, and I will 
 explain it. The word was not quite what you 
 thought. They said that Neil was an Episco- 
 palian. Ah, here is Jock, I will explain it to 
 both of you. Perhaps I should have done so 
 before." 
 
 Jock was told how matters stood, then the 
 
 ^ If Jeanie had been a little American girl she would not 
 have made this queer mistake, but in England members of 
 the i\nglican Church are not usually called Episcopalians. 
 The word used by the Scotch ladies was new to her. 
 
68 , THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 chaplain asked him if he knew the Latin fof 
 Bishop. 
 
 It was not to be expected that he did, espe- 
 cially in the middle of the afternoon when no 
 one was thinking of lessons. 
 
 "It is Episcopus," said Mr. Forrest. "Try- 
 to remember that, while I explain. You have 
 learnt something about the wars and troubles 
 in Scotland. Well, in some of them there was 
 strong feeling about differences in religion. 
 In England in Henry VIII.'s reign there was 
 what is called the Reformation, which did away 
 with some modern abuses which had come into 
 the church, and left the church, as people 
 hoped, purified. In Scotland things were dif- 
 ferent, the people drove out the Bishops and 
 got possession of the Churches. In the Ca- 
 thedral of St. Mungo in Glasgow, to-day, they 
 do not have the old service which they had 
 when the Cathedral was built, and it is the same 
 in every parish Church in Scotland. Instead 
 of having three orders of ministers, Bishops, 
 Priests and Deacons, their chief minister is a 
 
ST. ANDREWS 69 
 
 Presbyter, so they are called Presbyterians, 
 ours is a Bishop — ^what is the Latin?" 
 
 "Episcopus," said Jock, while a smile came 
 over Jeanie's face. 
 
 "So our form of Church government is 
 Episcopalian. But you see, all the churches 
 were taken away, so when the old service was 
 restored, the people in Scotland had, as a rule, 
 to build new churches. In this castle there 
 has always been a chapel, and the service we 
 have now is the same as it was hundreds of 
 years ago, and if St. Columba came to life and 
 put up here for a night — " 
 
 "Oh, I wish he would," said Jeanie. 
 
 "He would feel quite at home in the service, 
 but if he went to the Parish Church of Car- 
 moyes, where the steward and his family go 
 every Sunday, if they let him take part of the 
 service, he would feel terribly puzzled, for they 
 have a service that was only started about the 
 year 1643, ^^^ St. Columba would wonder 
 what was coming next. Not that St. Columba 
 was a Bishop. He was Abbot of lona and a 
 
70 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 wonderful missionary, and he died about the 
 time that St. Augustine went from Rome to 
 preach to the Saxons in Kent. There is a le- 
 gend that Christianity was first brought to Scot- 
 land by St. Regulus, a Greek, who brought with 
 him a relic of St. Andrew, the Apostle, lately 
 martyred. These Greek missionaries were 
 wrecked near the place where St. Andrew's now 
 stands. But we get much clearer history when 
 we come to St. Ninian, who was born about the 
 year 300 and was consecrated Bishop. From 
 that day to this the Bishops have continued in 
 Scotland, and if you travel about the country 
 you will see many interesting ruins of old mon- 
 asteries and churches, and of these monasteries 
 it is said that they were 'the schools of educa- 
 tion.' But to-day by far the greater number 
 of the Scots are Presbyterians. So you see, 
 when Miss Murray said that Neil was an Epis- 
 copalian, what she really meant was this: — 
 'Neil and you and I belong to the church as 
 it was in the Apostles' days with three orders 
 of Ministers, of which the Bishop is the chief 
 
ST. ANDREWS 71 
 
 — if she had said all that you would have un- 
 derstood, but as she used a Latin word you 
 were puzzled. After all," he added, "it is gen- 
 erally words that give offense." 
 
 "I thought," said Jeanie, "that she called 
 Neil a pigsty paling," and they all laughed, 
 after which, at the chaplain's proposal, they all 
 went down, lest Miss Murray should think 
 Jeanie was still offended. 
 
 Aunt Effie was giving the visitors tea, and 
 years after when Jeanie looked back upon this 
 visit to Scotland and understood many things 
 about which she did not now concern herself, 
 she always remembered the quiet dignity with 
 which Aunt Effie offered whatever she had, 
 never apologizing for what she had not. 
 
 Jock had found out many things which he 
 had not told his sister. However early he was 
 up in the morning, Malcolm was always before 
 him, out of doors sawing wood or stacking peat 
 or helping Colin in a hundred ways, yet he 
 always appeared at breakfast, fresh and silent 
 as if he had just come down. 
 
72 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 His quiet industry was a great contrast to 
 Jeanie's pleasant eloquence. 
 
 And while the children learned and played 
 in the happy Scottish home, far away under a 
 cloudless sky their father was regaining health 
 and strength, and their mother said many 
 times a day, "I wonder what they are doing 
 now at Glentyre." 
 
 But happily for her, as for all of us, she could 
 not know all that would happen in the days 
 that were to come. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 SCOTLAND FOREVER 
 
 "/^OME in," said Neil, one morning, as 
 
 ^-^ Jock looked into his study. "What I 
 am doing to-day will specially interest you, as 
 I suppose one day you hope to be a soldier." 
 
 "Yes," said Jock with enthusiasm. 
 
 "Well, I have been reading up all I can find 
 about the regiments that are Scottish. Hand 
 me that picture. You see it is a copy of a 
 famous painting, The Battle for the Standard, 
 which now hangs in the Hall of the Chelsea 
 Hospital. Have you ever been there?" 
 
 "I think not." 
 
 "It is a place where old soldiers end their 
 days. Try to go there when you get home. 
 You see Sergeant Ewart of the Scots Grays is 
 capturing the Eagle which belonged to Napo- 
 leon. It happened at the Battle of Waterloo, 
 
 73 
 
74 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 and is one of the many honors won by the 
 Scots Grays — ^you have seen them?" 
 
 "Oh, yes," cried the boy, "I have seen them 
 on their splendid gray horses." 
 
 "Yet," said Neil, "the name came originally 
 from the gray coats they wore when Sir 
 Thomas Dalzell first enrolled them in 1681. 
 They were called at that time 'Gray Dragoons.' 
 There has hardly been a war in which they 
 have not distinguished themselves and yet — " 
 
 "What?" said Jock as he paused. 
 
 "Perhaps I ought not to say it to you but 
 we Scots feel a little sore sometimes. When 
 men talk over battles, you are all apt to say, 
 'The English won this,' and 'The English won 
 that,' leaving Scotland out of your calculations. 
 Take even the Relief of Kimberley in the South 
 African War: didn't the Scots Grays have a 
 share of that? And what about the Indian 
 Mutiny when the Sepoys fled before the kilted 
 Highlanders as they had never fled before? 
 We like to be a little bit remembered, lad- 
 die." 
 
SCOTLAND FOREVER 75 
 
 "I don't know much about it," said Jock 
 gently. 
 
 "Not yet, but you will some day, and when 
 men sit round talking of victories, and say 
 England, try sometimes to turn it into Britain. 
 You see it isn't only Scotland that gets left out, 
 there is Ireland and the Dominions beyond the 
 sea. Where should we have been in the South 
 African War without the Canadians?" 
 
 "I do know about that," said Jock heartily, 
 "for one day a friend from the War Office 
 came in to see father, and he said that the 
 Canadians were of so much use that twice they 
 were recalled for active service after they had 
 actually got on board ship at Capetown to go 
 home." 
 
 "Yes. Well, when you get into the Army, 
 take the trouble to find out how many regiments 
 are Scottish, and you may be surprised to find 
 that the 7th Hussars was originally. One day 
 you will see one of the great pictures of the 
 world by Lady Butler, the charge of the Scots 
 Grays at Waterloo. They are dashing into 
 
76 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 the fight with the splendid 92nd Gordon High- 
 landers beside them, clinging to the horsemen's 
 stirrups, uttering the triumphant shout — 
 'Scotland forever !' " 
 
 "1 have seen a print of that," said Jock. 
 
 "Perhaps Malcolm may join them one day," 
 said Neil wistfully; and something in his tone 
 broke through Jock's reserve and made him 
 say,— 
 
 "Oh, Neil, 1 wish you could." 
 
 "I wish I could," said his cousin ; then for a 
 time there was a silence. 
 
 It was broken at last by Neil's saying half 
 apologetically, — 
 
 "We were aye a fighting race, laddie. The 
 gallant Grahams' was the old name ; but there's 
 plenty to fight against without going to battle. 
 Now, shall we get these things straight ? The 
 soldier pictures in one heap, the Waverley 
 novels which are about wars, at that end, and 
 all my own notes in this folio. Things have 
 a way of slipping beyond my reach. We like 
 to think that Scotland never fought for self- 
 
SCOTLAND FOREVER 77 
 
 aggrandizement; she always fought for ideas, 
 for a person — " 
 
 "Yes," said Jock, "but all the people you 
 fought for had such dreadful difficulties and 
 troubles. They tried so hard, but they nearly 
 all failed at last." 
 
 Mr. Forrest had come into the room behind 
 him. 
 
 "Yes, Jock," he said, "but they never failed 
 to try, and that is the only real failure. Bruce, 
 King Malcolm, Mary Queen of Scots, Mont- 
 rose, Bonnie Prince Charlie, — it is not failure 
 that we connect with their names, but dauntless 
 courage, cheerfulness in suffering and a hope 
 that was never crushed. You will not under- 
 stand it now," he said, as Jock began to frown 
 as he always did when he was thinking hard, 
 "but one day you will see that it is the char- 
 acter of its people which really makes a coun- 
 try great. If you like to come for a ride with 
 me this afternoon I will show you something 
 that is worth seeing." 
 
 Jock thanked him, and after luncheon they 
 
78 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 started on horseback, riding over the moors, 
 glorious with heather, crossing the river 
 where the water was low among the big bowl- 
 ders, and then climbing up, up till the country 
 lay before them like a huge picture. 
 
 At last they came to a rough wall inclosing 
 a burial ground, and leaving the horses outside, 
 they went in and looked at the headstones. 
 
 "Cameron, V. C, Captain," read the chap- 
 lain, "Donald Ogilvy, M. D. ; James Forbes, 
 Professor in Edinburgh University; look 
 round ; you will see a dozen such names. They 
 were all boys from cotters' homes who worked 
 their way up and came to the front, but they 
 came home at last for burial. There is no 
 false shame in the Scotsman. However high 
 he may rise he comes back to his people, and 
 is just their own laddie. We will go into a 
 cottage presently, and you will see what the 
 home is like where these boys first lived and 
 from which they tramped over the hills, often 
 barefoot, to school. You can fancy the family 
 sitting round in the evening, the father read- 
 
SCOTLAND FOREVER 79 
 
 ing from the Book, the children reverent and 
 attentive. There is much real religion and 
 sense of duty here, and the first answer in the 
 shorter catechism of the Presbyterians which 
 every child knows by heart, is very fine: 
 'Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to en- 
 joy Him forever.' The cottages are small 
 and the people are poor, but they know not only 
 the Bible, but the poetry of Burns and the writ- 
 ings of Sir Walter Scott in a wonderful man- 
 ner. Now we will come in to see Captain 
 Cameron's mother, and you shall judge for 
 yourself." 
 
 They went a little farther and Mr. Forrest 
 knocked at a cottage door which was at once 
 opened by an old woman. 
 
 "Come awa' ben," she said, "and hoo's Glen- 
 tyre the day?" 
 
 "He is well, thank you," said Mr. Forrest. 
 "This is his cousin from England, Jock Elli- 
 son. His father is in the Army." 
 
 She looked at the boy eagerly — 
 
 "He's living?" she asked — 
 
8o THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 "Oh, yes," he said. 
 
 "Ay; but my laddie cam' hame to dee — ye've 
 heerd tell o' the Scots Grays ?" 
 
 "Of course, I have," cried Jock, "and I've 
 seen them, too, on their splendid gray horses. 
 Father knew some of them." 
 
 "Then maybe he wud ken Captain Cameron, 
 V. C?" 
 
 She had motioned Jock to the settee near the 
 fire, in front of which a tabby cat slept peace- 
 fully, and Mr. Forrest took the proffered chair. 
 
 "I daresay he did," said Jock heartily. "He 
 would want to know him as he was so brave." 
 
 "Brave," said the old woman proudly, "he 
 was brave. Here he is as a wee bit laddie," 
 and she reached down an old framed photo- 
 graph, "and there he is, when he ga'ed awa' 
 to college and this is him in his grand uniform ; 
 eh, but he looked brave ! Ye' el have heerd tell 
 o' the siege o' Kimberley, laddie?" 
 
 "Yes, and I've heard what the Scots Grays 
 did there." 
 
 "'Twas all i' the papers," said the old woman. 
 
SCOTLAND FOREVER 8l 
 
 "Jeanie Mclntyre cried it in to me frae Car- 
 moyes, and the Laird sent me The Scotsman 
 paper to read a' they said o' my laddie. It was 
 just aw£u' grand. But he just cam' hame to 
 dee far awa' in London, and they brought him 
 hame here for his buryin'. He would ha' been 
 gey lanesome in ony London kirk yaird, and 
 a' his f reens cam' doon wi' their uniforms and 
 swords — 'twas the speak o' the hail parish. 
 And one there came frae the King wi' a word 
 for me o' Duncan. That's the creepie my lad- 
 die aye sat on by the hairth when he was a 
 wean. Eh, but ye'U taste my girdle scones 
 and bannocks before ye gang ?" 
 
 She bustled about getting them refresh- 
 ments, while Jock, his tongue unloosed, told 
 her of various military reviews he had seen; 
 and if she did not quite understand all that he 
 said, she liked to hear him talk. 
 
 "Ye'U come again," she said when they took 
 their leave, "and I'll show you his bits o' things 
 — his first wee copy-book, and the bonnie work- 
 box he brought me frae the toon. Step across 
 
82 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 to the kirk yaird, laddie, and you'll see his 
 grave, Captain Cameron, V. C. Eh, but they 
 brought me hame the cross, did the gentleman 
 that the King sent, he brought it tae me know- 
 ing I was his mither — and — ^maybe I'll no be 
 lang, i' foUowin' him!" 
 
 "Some day," said Jock, "when my father 
 comes home, he will like to come and see you 
 too. Good-by, thank you so much." 
 
 "Eh, but ye hae' the ways o' my laddie," said 
 the old woman, smoothing his hair back from 
 his forehead; and she stood in the doorway 
 watching them till they were out of sight. 
 
 They rode down the mountain side, leaving 
 the horses to pick their way, while occasionally 
 a rabbit scurried from the heather to hide it- 
 self in its burrow, or the grouse rose on strong, 
 swift wing and grew small in the distance 
 against the clear blue sky, or a lark sang ec- 
 statically overhead where it hung on quivering 
 wings; but the boy did not speak, for he had 
 come face to face with the splendor and mystery 
 
SCOTLAND FOREVER 83 
 
 of life — sacrifice and death and a mother's love 
 — and when God shows us these things we must 
 needs keep silence. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE 
 
 "nr^ELL me," said Jeanie to Nurse one day, 
 •*■ "what you did when you were a little 
 girl. Were you here helping to hide Bonnie 
 Prince Charlie, or was that even before your 
 time?" 
 
 "It was before my time, dearie. I did not 
 live here when I was a wee bairn, I lived away 
 up in the highlands." 
 
 "And went to school every day, I suppose, 
 carrying your books in a square satchel as I 
 see the children doing now, only the boys have 
 theirs strapped on their backs." 
 
 " 'Twas little I had of schoolin, lassie. I 
 was a wee bairn of ten when I went to work 
 at a farm, and I did just everything. I ha' 
 broken the ice on the burn to wash the clothes 
 in; and cooked and scrubbed and tended the 
 chickens." 
 
 84 
 
BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE 85 
 
 "When you were younger than I am?" 
 
 "Aye, I was younger than you, an' they sent 
 me to and frae the toon on errands. 'Twas 
 only the tinkers I was af eard of ; they frighted 
 me awfu' !" 
 
 "Who were the tinkers?" asked Jeanie, turn- 
 ing over the contents of Nurse's workbox and 
 twisting up ends of tape. 
 
 "Just travelin' folk along the road. They 
 would rob me of everything if they could catch 
 me, and when I saw them coming I just hid 
 in the heather till they were away. Not the 
 real gipsies, but just men on the road." 
 
 "And weren't you afraid of the long-horned 
 cattle?" 
 
 But Nurse answered, "What for would the 
 Hieland cattle hurt a wee bairn? Nay, there 
 was no but the tinkers an' the fairies." 
 
 "The fairies," cried Jeanie, "oh, have you 
 seen a fairy?" 
 
 "A body canna say all that's been seen," said 
 Nurse wisely. "An' the fairies bide farther 
 away, up in the Hielands." 
 
86 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 "What are they like?" asked the little girl. 
 
 Nurse put down her work, opened a drawer, 
 and got out a brown book. 
 
 "This was my father's," she said cautiously. 
 "I am not owre clever at the reading, but you 
 may read it aloud, only you must not take it 
 away." 
 
 Jeanie read a description of the fairies with 
 great satisfaction, the little people with eyes 
 sparkling as the brightest of the stars, lips like 
 coral, teeth like ivory, beautiful fair hair in 
 ringlets, wearing robes of green. The words 
 of the book were long and uncommon, but 
 neither Jeanie nor Nurse was at all critical as 
 to pronunciation, and she read all that was 
 said about fairies before she would give back 
 the volume. 
 
 When next she was alone with Jock she tried 
 to interest him in the fairies, but he declared 
 that they had no existence. 
 
 "I could tell you heaps of stories," said 
 Jeanie, "of what they have done. They look 
 like seals when they are in the water, but the 
 
BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE 87 
 
 worst thing about them is that they sometimes 
 take away a child and leave a fairy child in 
 his place called a stock. Then the stock gets 
 ill or dies, and the family thinks that it is their 
 child. There are only a few things you can 
 do — the mother can say a blessing, then the 
 fairies have no more power. Neil used to be 
 quite well," went on Jeanie, "till he was four 
 years old, then — " 
 
 "Jeanie," burst in Jock, his face aflame with 
 anger, "you should not let Nurse say those 
 things to you about Neil. You know Mother 
 would not like it," and he walked away with- 
 out waiting for her reply. 
 
 "How stupid of him," thought Jeanie. "I 
 could have told him so many things, but boys 
 don't believe things, or they say they don't." 
 
 She looked critically at Neil that night, won- 
 dering if he were a fairy substitute, and if the 
 real Neil was far away in fairyland. 
 
 "Well, Jeanie," he said at last, "what is it? 
 Are you taking stock of my dress?" 
 
 She grew red and murmured something. 
 
88 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 then he told her to come over to the sofa and 
 examine his things. The dirk which hung 
 from his hip was found to contain a knife and 
 fork, and he told her that the black knife worn 
 inside the stocking was known as the Skian 
 Dhu. 
 
 "It is your lace tie which looks so nice in 
 the evening," said Jeanie. "Father only wears 
 a white tie." 
 
 "Ah, Jeanie, wait till you see the games, to 
 see how braw the Scots can look. If you were 
 at Braemar you would see the gathering of 
 the clans — first the Stuarts from Balmoral, 
 then the Duflfs, and then the Farquharsons. 
 They all form up in order with the pipers play- 
 ing, and on those occasions we all wear our 
 plaids." 
 
 "Are we going to the games ?" asked the lit- 
 tle girl. 
 
 "Yes, but not to Braemar, that is too far 
 off; our games are nearer. 
 
 Eagerly, the next day, Jock questioned 
 Colin. "Would the Laird go?" 
 
BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE 89 
 
 But the piper shook his head. The late 
 Laird was the last Glentyre to be at the games. 
 
 "And our clansmen, do they go?" asked the 
 boy. 
 
 "The Glentyre men are no sae bad," said 
 the man. "Macrae can throw the hammer wi' 
 ony o' them. Ye'U ha' seen Macrae throw the 
 hammer ?" 
 
 Jock nodded. 
 
 "And you, Colin?" 
 
 "Eh, but my day for throwin' is over; I'm 
 just the piper." 
 
 Jock looked out across the hills and won- 
 dered how things had been when Colin was 
 young. The natural beauty was so great 
 round the castle that it mattered little that the 
 garden had long ago ceased to be cultivated. 
 In front of the house was a large paved sweep, 
 on which the horses' hoofs clattered noisily, 
 and the tower of the castle was built on a solid 
 rock. Trees of many kinds grew near the 
 house, a small loch containing an island lay 
 down below; the country beyond seemed an 
 
90 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 unlimited stretch of woods and mountains with 
 no boundary but the sky. There were few 
 rules at Glentyre, yet the children learned that 
 no one was to enter the boat on the loch who 
 could not swim. 
 
 "Then we must learn to swim," said Jeanie 
 decidedly, "because this boat and the island 
 are just made for Prince Charlie." 
 
 When once the learning was accomplished, 
 many escapes took place by boat, and a rough 
 shelter was constructed on the island which 
 served for various places. At first it was the 
 Island of Eriskay, and Jeanie, personating 
 Angus Macdonald, was seated in the hut when 
 the boat arrived bringing two visitors, one of 
 whom could be seen to be Prince Charlie by 
 the fact that he wore the dressing-gown inside 
 out; the other personated the six gentlemen 
 from France who escorted him to his own king- 
 dom in the hope of winning back the crown for 
 his father, who was son of King James II. 
 
 Angus Macdonald busied himself in prepar- 
 ing a meal for his guests, proclaiming that he 
 
BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE Ql 
 
 was a Jacobite and was quite prepared to fight. 
 It was well that Angus had the gift of elo- 
 quence, as the Prince and his. retinue were 
 strangely silent. 
 
 When the meal was ready, Angus, with his 
 head turned away to hide the fact that he was 
 reading out of a book, declaimed the following 
 poem : — * 
 
 There cam' a wee boatie owre the sea, 
 
 Wi' the winds an' waves it strove sairlie; 
 
 But oh ! it brought great joy to me, 
 
 For wha was there but Prince Charlie. 
 
 The wind was hie, and unco' chill, 
 
 An' a' things luiket barely ; 
 
 But oh! we cam' with right good-will 
 
 To welcome bonnie Charlie. 
 
 Wae's me, puir lad, ye're thinly clad. 
 The waves yere fair hair weeting ; 
 We'll row ye in a tartan plaid. 
 An' gie ye Scotland's greeting. 
 Though wild an' bleak the prospect round, 
 We'll cheer yere heart, dear Charlie; 
 Ye're landed now on Scottish ground, 
 Wi' them wha lo'e ye dearlie. 
 * Lady Nairne. 
 
92 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 O lang we've prayed to see this day ; 
 
 True hearts they maist were breaking; 
 
 Now clouds an' storms will flee away, 
 
 Young hope again is waking. 
 
 We'll sound the Gathering, lang an' loud, 
 
 Yere friends will greet ye fairlie; 
 
 Tho' now they're few, their hearts are true; 
 
 They'll live or die for Charlie. 
 
 "I am grateful for your welcome," said the 
 Prince, pausing over the apple he was eating, 
 "but if this is 'unco' chill,' I should like to know 
 what your hot weather is like, nor would it 
 have occurred to me that I was 'thinly clad.' " 
 
 Jock glanced at the dressing-gown over the 
 kilt, and burst out laughing. 
 
 "Oh, don't," said Jeanie, "or you will spoil 
 it all. We mustn't laugh. When we pretend, 
 it is the pretense that is real. Your Royal 
 Highness, I caught this dried haddock this 
 morning; taste a wee bit; they don't grow on 
 the French coast. Then we'll rouse the clans. 
 
 The gay Gordons 
 The gallant Grahams 
 
BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE 93 
 
 The handsome Hays 
 The haughty Hamiltons 
 The bauld Frasers, 
 The light Lindsays 
 The proud Setons 
 The brave Macdonalds 
 The fiery Macintoshes 
 The proud MacNeills 
 The angry Kerrs 
 The trusty Boyds 
 The sturdy Armstrongs 
 The lucky Duffs 
 
 "Jeanie," said Malcolm as she paused for 
 breath, "where do you learn all these things ?" 
 
 "Oh, you can learn anything if you keep 
 your eyes and ears open. I have found some 
 books, and Nurse tells me heaps of things. So 
 does Colin and Macrae when I am down there. 
 Besides, sometimes when Aunt Effie is resting 
 she takes me into her room and tells me stories, 
 or sings me songs, especially those written by 
 Lady Nairne. That was one of Lady Nairne's 
 which I said to you. She was very secret, 
 rather like Sir Walter Scott, and people didn't 
 
94 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 know at the time that she wrote poems ; some- 
 times they thought that Burns wrote them, es- 
 pecially The Land of the Leal.' " 
 
 "Yes," said Malcolm, "I thought that Burns 
 wrote it." 
 
 "Well, he didn't. Lady Nairne's poems 
 were so famous that they put a large cross up 
 after her death, bearing these words, 'Her 
 songs lack death.' I'll sing you one if you like ; 
 at least, I can only remember the first verse, 
 and you must join in the chorus." 
 
 Then Jeanie sang, rolling her r's in true 
 Scottish fashion, — 
 
 'Twas on a Monday morning, 
 Right early in the year, 
 When Charlie came to our town, 
 The young Chevalier. 
 
 And the boys joined in the chorus, their 
 voices ringing out across the water, — 
 
 Oh, Charlie is my darling, 
 My darling, my darling. 
 Oh, Charlie is my darling. 
 The young Chevalier! 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 THE ISLE OF REST 
 
 THE island on the loch now became the 
 scene of many royal functions. At one 
 time it was France, and Mary, Queen of Scots, 
 married the Dauphin Francis. 
 
 As the dresses at their disposal were neither 
 numerous nor costly, Jeanie read aloud from 
 some of her books the description of the scene 
 that was to be acted, then they all knew what 
 they were supposed to see. 
 
 "She was dressed in a robe whiter than the 
 lily," she chanted, "but so glorious in its fash- 
 ion and decorations that it would be difficult, 
 nay impossible, for any pen to do it justice. 
 Her royal mantle and train were of bluish- 
 gray cut velvet, embroidered with white silk 
 and pearls. It was of a marvelous length, cov- 
 ered with precious stones, and was supported 
 by young ladies." 
 
 95 
 
96 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 Jeanie saw it all, the splendor of the ca- 
 thedral of Notre Dame, and the handfuls of 
 gold thrown to the crowds. It was well that 
 Queen Mary had a little grandeur and happi- 
 ness, for she returned to Scotland and the days 
 grew sad. 
 
 Now the island became Holyrood, and Mary 
 was seated at supper when Lord Ruthven came 
 in with a sword to murder Riccio. There were 
 struggles and cries, the Queen tried in vain 
 to ward off the blows, and poor Riccio fell 
 dead. 
 
 Truth to say, this was the scene which the 
 boys enjoyed most of all, and they hit each 
 other to their hearts' content. 
 
 But the Queen was left amid treachery and 
 finally became a prisoner. Her escape from 
 Lochleven Castle was so full of adventure that 
 it was acted more than once, and the boys took 
 the part of "Foundling Willie" by turns. 
 
 The Queen was strolling sadly in the castle 
 when Willie came to her, saying, — 
 
 "Madam, if you will try to escape, I will help 
 
5TR0LLIN6 
 
 Ui^ mm-'-'^m 
 
 •TH£CASTLq 
 
THE ISLE OF REST 97 
 
 you. There is a postern-gate by which we go 
 out in one of the boats. I will bring you the 
 key of the gate when the boat is ready, and I 
 will go with you." 
 
 "My little friend," said the Queen, "this is 
 very good of you, but tell no one, or we are 
 ruined. One day I will make you very great 
 and happy." 
 
 Sir William Douglas sat at supper in the 
 great hall with the keys beside him, over which 
 Willie, who was waiting, dropped a napkin, 
 and in picking it up took the keys also. At 
 once he ran to the Queen's apartments, and she 
 had changed her clothes, and together they 
 unlocked the doors of the castle, locking them 
 behind them as they fled. They jumped into 
 the boat and each took an oar, while Bevis, 
 who to this moment had been held by the col- 
 lar by whichever boy was on the island, en- 
 acted Jane Kennedy and jumped into the water 
 after them. 
 
 But Bevis could not personate the Queen's' 
 little dog on the scaffold, for the folds of the 
 
98 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 longest dress which Jeanie could borrow would 
 in nowise hide his long legs. 
 
 "I don't think we ought to act the execu- 
 tion," said Malcolm bluntly. 
 
 "Why not?" asked Jeanie. 
 
 "Well, partly because it was such an awful 
 thing of Elizabeth to allow, and partly," he 
 flushed a rosy red, "it is too religious." 
 
 "Do you like this?" said Jeanie. 
 
 From the ire of the Drummonds, 
 From the pride of the Grahams, 
 From the greed of the Campbells, 
 From the wind of the Murrays, 
 Good Lord, deliver us. 
 
 "Jeanie," cried the boys, "you do get hold 
 of the most extraordinary things." 
 
 "Nurse taught me that. It is the grace of 
 some old Laird. And you must never hand a 
 loaf bottom upward to a Menteith, because 
 that is how Sir John Menteith betrayed Wal- 
 lace. I should like best to be a Stewart, then 
 I should be related to Queen Mary and Bonnie 
 Prince Charlie." 
 
THE ISLE OF REST 99 
 
 "We have a proverb," said Malcolm, " 'the 
 Stewarts, the race of kings and tinkers.' I 
 expect that there are other clans quite as near 
 royalty, such as the Erskines and the Mal- 
 colms." 
 
 So, as they talked and played, they learned 
 unconsciously what it meant to belong to Scot- 
 land, and Mr. Forrest gave them books which 
 supplied ever new material for their games. 
 Jeanie was the one to pick out the points of 
 interest from these books for the benefit of the 
 boys, skipping the dull details and deciding 
 what could be acted. 
 
 "I've got a new book," she proclaimed one 
 day, "and it's you, Malcolm, that is gey stupid 
 not to have found it before, because it tells the 
 history of John Grahame of Claverhouse, and 
 listen, 'He was connected by intermarriage 
 with the blood-royal of Scotland.' Did you 
 know that, and are you connected with the 
 Royal Family?" 
 
 "If we are," said Malcolm, "you are, 
 too." 
 
100 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 "And you can sit there, and look as if noth- 
 ing has happened !" cried Jeanie. 
 
 "Nothing has happened, lately," said the 
 boy. "All that made the greatness of our clan 
 happened long ago." 
 
 "Well, I will tell you about him. He seems 
 to have been as charming and clever and brave 
 as Montrose. Perhaps all Grahames are made 
 like that?" 
 
 Malcolm stared in front of him, but said 
 nothing. They were seated in the boat beside 
 their island. Then Jeanie told them how 
 Claverhouse saved the life of the Prince of 
 Orange, in battle, when his horse was killed, 
 and gave him his own horse. The Prince 
 promised to give him the next regiment that 
 fell vacant, but he did not keep his word. Then 
 Claverhouse was made Lord of Dundee, and 
 the Highlanders called him "Dark John of the 
 Battles." Of course he was loyal to Prince 
 Charlie, and he led his men into a tremendous 
 battle. He was standing up in his stirrups 
 and urging his men on when he was struck 
 
THE ISLE OF REST fQl 
 
 down. "Whilst Dundee survived," read 
 Jeanie, "Scotland at least was not lost to the 
 Stuarts, but with his fall the enterprise was 
 over." He was buried in the Church of Blair 
 of AthoU, and there is a splendid poem here. 
 Shall I read you a bit?" 
 
 "If you like," said the boys, and Jeanie read 
 in triumphant tones : — 
 
 Sound the fife, and cry the slogan — 
 
 Let the pibroch shake the air 
 
 With its wild triumphant music. 
 
 Worthy of the freight we bear. 
 
 Let the ancient hills of Scotland 
 
 Hear once more the battle-song 
 
 Swell within their glens and valleys 
 
 As the clansmen march along! 
 
 Never from the field of combat, 
 
 Never from the deadly fray, 
 
 Was a nobler trophy carried 
 
 Than we bring with us to-day. 
 
 Never, since the valiant Douglas 
 
 On his dauntless bosom bore 
 
 Good King Robert's heart — ^the priceless — 
 
 To our dear Redeemer's shore! 
 
102 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 Lo! we bring with us the hero — 
 Lo! we bring the conquering Graeme, 
 Crowned as best beseems a victor 
 From the altar of his fame; 
 Fresh and bleeding from the battle 
 Whence his spirit took its flight, 
 'Midst the crashing charge of squadrons. 
 And the thunder of the fight! 
 Strike, I say, the notes of triumph. 
 As we march o'er moor and lea! 
 Is there any here will venture 
 To bewail our dead Dundee ? 
 Let the widows of the traitors 
 Weep until their eyes are dim! 
 Wail ye may full well for Scotland — 
 Let none dare to mourn for him! 
 
 "There," said Jeanie, shutting up the book, 
 "you can read the rest for yourselves. It's 
 called The Burial March of Dundee, and Ay- 
 toun wrote it." 
 
 "Colin sings a song about him," said Mal- 
 colm. "We might ask him to sing it ; Bonnie 
 Dundee. I don't know that he will, but if you 
 like to row across, we'll try." 
 
THE ISLE OF REST 103 
 
 "Did Aytoun write that, too?" 
 
 "No, I think Sir Walter Scott wrote it." 
 
 Some persuasion had to be used ; then Colin, 
 
 who was cleaning harness outside the -stable, 
 
 sang with spirit, — 
 
 To the Lords of Convention 'twas Claverhouse spoke. 
 Ere the King's Crown go down there are crowns to 
 
 be broke, 
 Then each cavalier that loves honour and me, 
 Let him follow the bonnets of Bonnie Dundee. 
 
 And the children, led by Malcolm, joined in 
 the chorus : — 
 
 Come fill up my cup, come fill up my can. 
 Come saddle my horses, and call out my men ; 
 Unhook the west port, and let us gae free. 
 For it's up wi' the bonnets of Bonnie Dundee. 
 
 Dundee he is mounted, he rides up the street. 
 
 The bells they ring backward, the drums they are 
 
 beat. 
 But the provost (douce man) said, "Just e'en let it be 
 For the town is well rid o' that de'il o' Dundee. 
 
 There are hills beyond Pentland, and lands beyond 
 Forth, 
 
104 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 If there's lords in the south, there are chiefs in the 
 
 north; 
 There are brave Duinnewassals three thousand times 
 
 three. 
 Will cry, "Hey for the bonnets of Bonnie Dundee." 
 
 Then awa' to the hills, to the lea, to the rocks, 
 Ere I own a usurper I'll crouch with the fox ; 
 And tremble false Whigs in the midst o' your glee, 
 Ye hae no seen the last o' my bonnets and me. 
 
 Jeanie's shrill voice led the chorus now, — 
 
 Come fill up my cup, come fill up my can. 
 Come saddle my horses, and call out my men; 
 Unhook the west port, and let us gae free. 
 For it's up wi' the bonnets of Bonnie Dundee. 
 
 The clapping and applause were borne on 
 the still summer day in at the open window 
 where Aunt Effie sat at work, and she smiled 
 as she said to herself, — 
 
 "The spirit of the Grahams is not dead yet. 
 Ah, they will all do more in the world than my 
 poor Neil." 
 
 But if Aunt Effie could have looked into the 
 
THE ISLE OF REST 105 
 
 future she would have been greatly surprised. 
 Later she said to them, — 
 
 "I heard you singing Dundee. There is 
 a pretty story told of Sir Walter Scott with 
 regard to it. His son had married a gen- 
 tle girl who was terribly shy when her hus- 
 band's fellow-officers and friends came to the 
 house. Sir Walter, who understood how 
 things were, gave her this song, saying, 'Now 
 when anyone comes to the house you can say, 
 "Have you seen this new song which my 
 father-in-law wrote ?" ' So the young wife 
 had a topic given her which at once made 
 everyone talk." 
 
 "What a nice father-in-law!" said Jeanie. 
 
 "Everything was nice about him," said Aunt 
 Effie, "and if you come to my room this after- 
 noon I will tell you the story of him and his 
 Pet Marjorie." 
 
CHAPTER X' 
 
 PET MARJORIE 
 
 AUNT EFFIE told the story of Marjorie 
 Fleming, the child friend of Sir Walter 
 Scott, who was born in 1803 and died in 181 1. 
 Marjorie had no children's books, but her 
 father read aloud to her from the best authors. 
 At the age of five she began to keep a jour- 
 nal, in which we learn that England is at war 
 with France, and many other things; but in 
 giving a few extracts we must not try to 
 copy the spelling, though probably those of 
 us who are only five could not spell half as 
 well. 
 
 "Tis a fine book Newton on the profecies 
 I wonder if another book of poems comes near 
 the bible; the Divel always grins at the sight 
 of the bibles; bibles did I say? nay at the 
 
 word virtue I should like to learn Astron- 
 
 106 
 
PET MARJORIE 107 
 
 omy and Geography; an annibabtist is a thing 
 I am not a member of; I am a Pisplikan just 
 now and a Prisbeteren at Kercaldy my native 
 town which though dirty is clein in the coun- 
 try; sentiment is what I am not acquainted 
 with though I wish it and should hke to prac- 
 tice it. The English have great power over 
 the French; Ah me peradventure, at this mo- 
 ment some noble Colnel at this moment sinks 
 to the ground without breath; and in convul- 
 sive pangs dies; it is a melancholy considera- 
 tion." 
 
 Marjorie had a cousin, Isa Keith, to whom 
 she was devoted, and at the age of six she 
 wrote this poem : — 
 
 Here lies sweet Isabell in bed 
 With a nightcap on her head. 
 Her skin is soft her face is fair 
 And she has very pretty hair. 
 She and I in bed lies nice 
 And undisturbed by rats and mice. 
 She is disgusted with Mr. Wurgan 
 Though he plays upon the organ. 
 
108 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 A not of ribans on her head 
 
 Her cheak is tinged with conscious red 
 
 Her head it rests upon a pilly 
 
 And she is not so very silly 
 
 Her nails are neat, her teeth are white 
 
 Her eyes are very very bright 
 
 In a conspicuos town she lives 
 
 And to the poor her money gives 
 
 Here ends sweet Isabellas story 
 
 And may it be much to her glory. 
 
 Jock and Jeanie had to read this poem to see 
 the spelling; then Aunt Efifie said: — 
 
 "The poem I like best is the one about the 
 death of some turkeys of which Marjorie had 
 written in her journal: — 
 
 " T am going to tell you of a melancholy 
 story. A young Turkie of 2 or 3 month old 
 would you believe it the father broak its leg 
 and he killed another I think he should be 
 transported or hanged. Will the Sarvent has 
 buried the Turkie and put a tomeston and 
 written, this is in memory of the young 
 Turke.' 
 
 "Now for the poem: — 
 
PET MARJORIE 109 
 
 Three turkeys fair their last have breathed 
 And now this world for ever leaved. 
 Their father and their mother too 
 Will sigh and weep as well as you 
 Mourning for their osprings fair 
 Whom they did nurse with tender care. 
 Indeed the rats their bones have cranched 
 To eternity are they launched 
 There graceful form and pretty eyes 
 Their fellow fows did not despise 
 A direful death indeed they had 
 That would put any parent mad 
 But she was more than usual calm 
 She is as gentel as a lamb 
 Here ends this melancholy lay 
 Farewell Poor Turkeys I must say. 
 
 Evidently the writer has forgotten that 
 Papa Turkey killed his children. 
 
 When you go to Edinburgh you can see the 
 house in Castle Street, Number 39, where Sir 
 Walter Scott lived. This is an account of his 
 friendship with Marjorie, written by Dr. John 
 Brown, whose book, Rab and His Friends, you 
 will read one day. 
 
no THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 "Sir Walter ran one winter day into the 
 Keiths' house caUing, 'Marjorie! where are 
 ye, my bonnie wee croodling doc?' In a mo- 
 ment a bright, sage child of seven was in his 
 arms, and he was kissing her all over. Out 
 came Mr. Keith. 
 
 " 'Come yer ways in, Wattie.' 
 
 " 'No, not now. I am going to take Mar- 
 jorie wi' me, and you may come to your tea in 
 Duncan Roy's Sedan and bring the bairn home 
 in your lap.' 
 
 " 'Mrs. Keith protested that it was snowing, 
 but— 
 
 " 'Hoot, awa' ! look here,' and he displayed 
 the corner of his plaid, made to hold lambs — 
 (the true shepherd's plaid, consisting of two 
 breadths sewed together, and uncut at one end, 
 making a poke). 
 
 " 'Tak' yer lamb,' said she, laughing at the 
 contrivance, and so the Pet was first well 
 happit up, and then put, laughing silently, into 
 the plaid-neuk, and the shepherd strode off 
 with his lamb. . . . They came to his house 
 
PET MARJORIE 111 
 
 and she gave him his new lesson, timing it 
 upon her small fingers, — ^he saying it after 
 
 her, — 
 
 Wonery, twoery, tickery, seven 
 Alibi, crakaby, ten, and eleven; 
 Pin, pan, musky, dan; 
 Tweedle-um, twoddle-um 
 Twenty-wan ; eerie, orie, ourie, 
 You, are, out. 
 
 "Sir Walter pretended that he had great dif- 
 ficulty in learning this, and she rebuked him. 
 Then he read poetry to her, or they repeated 
 scenes from King John. The year before she 
 died she was at a Twelfth Night supper in 
 Scott's house. He was dull till she arrived. 
 Then the bell rang, and in came Duncan Roy 
 and his henchman, Jougald, with the sedan 
 chair, which was brought right into the lobby, 
 and its top raised. And there sat Marjorie in 
 white, her eyes gleaming, and Scott bending 
 over her in ecstasy. 
 
 " 'Sit ye there, my dautie, till they all see 
 you.' 
 
112 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 "You can fancy the scene. And he lifted her 
 up and sat her down beside him ; and then be- 
 gan the night, and such a night ! Those who 
 knew Scott best said that night was never 
 equalled; Maidie and he were the stars; and 
 she gave them Constance's speeches and 
 Helvellyn, Scott showing her off, and being 
 often rebuked by her for his intentional blun- 
 ders." 
 
 " Some day," said Aunt Effie, "you can read 
 the whole account of Pet Marjorie. Dr. John 
 Brown himself was a famous man, and he had 
 a special affection for dogs. One day when 
 he was driving with a friend he looked out of 
 the carriage window with great interest and 
 his friend asked, 'Do you see someone you 
 know?' 
 
 " 'No,' said Dr. Brown, 'but I see a dog that 
 I do not know, which is much more excit- 
 ing.' " 
 
 "Thank you. Aunt Effie," said Jeanie. "I 
 should like to read all Marjorie's journal." 
 
 "She must have picked up sentences which 
 
PET MARJORIE 113 
 
 her elders used, for at five years old she 
 writes, — 
 
 " 'Mercandile Afares are in a perilous situa- 
 tion.' The French prisoners were then in 
 Edinburgh Castle, and few books are more in- 
 teresting than St. Ives, which Stevenson has 
 written of that time. Marjorie's reading 
 seems to have been varied, for she writes: 
 'There is a book that is called the Newgate 
 Calendar that contains all the Murders: all 
 the Murders did I say, nay all Thefts and 
 Forgeries that ever were committed, and fills 
 me with horror and consternation.' " 
 
 "She feels much for the troubles of others 
 and writes, 'A sailor called here to say fare- 
 well, it must be dreadfull to leave his native 
 country, where he might get a wife or perhaps 
 me, for I love him very much and with all my 
 heart, but O I forgot Isabella forbid me to 
 speak about love.' " 
 
 What would you who have so many books 
 now, think of Marjorie's reading? 
 
 " 'Tomson is a beautiful author and Pope 
 
114 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 but nothing is like Shakespear of which I 
 have a little knowledge of An unfortunate 
 death James the 5 had, for he died of greif. 
 Macbeth is a pretty composition but awful one 
 Macbeth is so bad and wicked, but Lady Mac- 
 beth is so hardened in guilt she does not mind 
 her sins and faults. No.' " 
 
 "I suppose," said Aunt Effie, "that no child's 
 journal has ever been so widely read as Pet 
 Marjorie's, and wherever the name of Sir Wal- 
 ter Scott is known there will be known the 
 story of his child friend." 
 
 "There was another little girl," said Jeanie, 
 "named Grizel, that Mr. Forrest told us 
 about." 
 
 "Oh, yes. Her father was Sir Patrick 
 Home, and in warlike times he had to take 
 refuge in a vault under the church. There he 
 lived in darkness among the coffins, and at 
 night his little daughter of twelve, Grizel, 
 brought him what food she could get. It was 
 not easy to get this food, for the other children 
 were too young to be trusted not to repeat 
 
PET MARJORIE II5 
 
 things. So Grizel pretended to have a pro- 
 digious appetite, and ate so much that her Httle 
 brothers complained of her. 
 
 " 'Look at Grizel, Mother,' said little Sandy. 
 'While we have been supping our broth, she 
 has eaten up the sheep's head.' 
 
 "What she had really done was to slip the 
 sheep's head into her lap, and when it was dark 
 she felt her way among the tombs and went 
 down into the vault with her father's dinner, 
 making him laugh at what Sandy had said. 
 Afterwards he was brought into the house, 
 where Grizel and her mother made a hole be- 
 neath what was called a box bed, placed in a 
 recess in the wall, and put a mattress there, 
 covering it over with a lid, so that on any alarm 
 he might lie hidden there. Poor Grizel's nails 
 were terribly torn by this work. At last her 
 father escaped to Holland; but before her 
 nightly visits to the vaults she had been sent on 
 a secret errand to Baillie of Jerviswood in the 
 Tolbooth, the prison of Edinburgh, before his 
 execution, and brought back his last instruc- 
 
Il6 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 tions at the risk of her Hfe, through the dis- 
 turbed country. Mr. Oliphant has written, 
 'It takes a great deal to crush a country which 
 has children like this.' " 
 
 The audience was silent for a few minutes, 
 then Jeanie said, — 
 
 "I should have minded the dark most in the 
 churchyard, shouldn't you, Jock?" 
 
 But whatever Jock's thoughts were, he kept 
 silent. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 THE GAMES 
 
 THE time had now come when little was 
 talked about but the Games to which 
 the whole countryside would go; and great 
 were the preparations that were made. A new 
 Highland suit arrived for Malcolm, at which 
 he looked with a grave face. 
 
 "Eh, laddie," said Neil, "you will represent 
 Glentyre that day." But Malcolm rushed 
 away, unable to bear the thought. 
 
 Oh, if Neil might have been there with all 
 his men, Malcolm would willingly have worn 
 his shabbiest kilt. It was some consolation to 
 go down to Macrae's to see him practice throw- 
 ing the hammer, for Malcolm's heart was sore 
 for the honor of Glentyre. 
 
 "He must win, sir," said Mrs. Macrae, who 
 had been an English maid and was outwardly 
 more respectful than the Scottish retainers 
 
 117 
 
Il8 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 who would willingly have died for one of the 
 Laird's family. 
 
 Malcolm measured the distance with his eye 
 cautiously, then he said, — 
 
 "It is not so bad." 
 
 After a few minutes Macrae came up to him 
 with the invariable question: — 
 
 "And hoo's the Laird the day?" 
 
 "He is well, thank you," said the boy. Then 
 the talk became too technical for Mrs. Macrae, 
 and while Malcolm and the Steward measured 
 distances, she went indoors to busy herself 
 about the new frocks the children were to have 
 for the great day. 
 
 It dawned as fair as anyone could wish, and 
 all through breakfast Neil talked cheerfully 
 of the prospects, hardly daring to hope that 
 Macrae would win the prize for throwing the 
 hammer. 
 
 When it was time to start, everyone but 
 Aunt EfEe and Neil went to the games, Mr. 
 Forrest driving Jock and Jeanie, while Mal- 
 colm rode one of the ponies. Malcolm was 
 
THE GAMES II9 
 
 more silent than usual, and he showed none of 
 the excitement which his cousins felt. Mr. 
 Forrest explained everything that Jeanie 
 wanted to know, telling her who the chieftain 
 was who presided over the Games, and point- 
 ing out the various clans. When they had 
 taken their places the time passed quickly, 
 watching the arrivals and listening to the 
 weird sound of the pipes. 
 
 Colin had never looked so grand as he did 
 to-day, and Jock realized what it meant to be- 
 long to a clan. Other boys came up and spoke 
 to Malcolm, boys with the kilt of Gordon, Stu- 
 art, MacGregor, and other clans, many of 
 whom had come from long distances to see the 
 Games, — spending the greater part of the day 
 on the ground. The earlier events had passed, 
 and now began the tossing of the caber. 
 
 Spell-bound, Jock and Jeanie followed with 
 wide-open eyes, one after another of the picked 
 clansmen who stepped out on the course, bear- 
 ing on the shoulder what appeared to be a great 
 fir tree, which was, indeed, the heavy end of 
 
120 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 one and of great weight. Their steps went 
 faster and faster, ending in a run, and then, 
 catching up the caber at one end as lightly as 
 if it were but a feather-weight, each one tossed 
 it up into the air. Every man tried to toss it, 
 if but a quarter of an inch further than the 
 foremost, and eagerly was the ground meas- 
 ured before the victory was decided. 
 
 More than one man said to Malcolm : — 
 
 "I hear that the Glentyre men are to win 
 with the hammer to-day." 
 
 "I don't know," said Malcolm gravely. 
 
 Jeanie was nearly wild with delight over the 
 sword dance, danced by a boy no bigger than 
 Jock; and the Highland Reel with the shouts 
 was splendid. 
 
 Then, under cover of the sound of the pipes, 
 some people behind them were talking rather 
 freely and bits of the conversation became sud- 
 denly audible. 
 
 "He's always been an invalid and goes no- 
 where. . . . Yes, Malcolm would make a fine 
 Laird." 
 
THE GAMES 121 
 
 The color rushed into Malcolm's face, and 
 the chaplain, seeing it, began to talk loudly, and 
 encouraged Jeanie to talk and laugh. But the 
 joy of the day had gone out for Malcolm. He 
 returned the greeting of all who passed him, 
 answering the question, "How's Glentyre?" 
 with the invariable formula, "He's well, thank 
 you," but he wished that the day were over. 
 
 Then came the great event, throwing the 
 hammer, and the chatter of the spectators died 
 away. Once the great man of the assembly 
 caught Malcolm's eye and smiled, as if to wish 
 him success; then Malcolm knew nothing and 
 saw nothing but Macrae with his brawny arms 
 which held the honor of Glentyre to-day. 
 
 Cheers and shouts arose as the excitement 
 grew greater. A piper with the Gumming 
 tartan was a powerful opponent, and his sup- 
 porters were cheering him lustily. 
 
 "Oh, Macrae must win," cried Jeanie. 
 "Look!" 
 
 Colin was looking with all his might; Mr. 
 Forrest was clapping and cheering, and even 
 
122 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 Jock was roused to wild excitement. But Mal- 
 colm was strangely still and silent. A few 
 more minutes would decide it, and in the in- 
 tense expectation the voices died down. 
 
 Then came the decision. 
 
 It was Macrae who was victorious. A Glen- 
 tyre man had thrown the hammer. 
 
 "Glentyre, Glentyre!" 
 
 It was the only word distinguishable in the 
 burst of applause ; Jeanie was shouting it, Jock 
 was clapping furiously. Malcolm rose to his 
 feet, pushed his way through the crowd and 
 found Macrae surrounded by his friends. 
 
 "Well done," said the boy; "this will be 
 news for the Laird." 
 
 "Aye," said the Steward, "they all cheer 
 Glentyre the day." 
 
 Someone else was pushing his way towards 
 them, — ^the Duke who had smiled at Malcolm 
 as he entered, — and by his side was a boy in 
 the Stuart tartan. 
 
 "I congratulate you, Malcolm," said the 
 Duke; then turning to his companion he said. 
 
THE GAMES 123 
 
 "This is Glentyre's brother," but he did not 
 mention to Malcolm the boy's name. 
 
 "I congratulate you," said the boy in his 
 pleasant voice; and Malcolm thanked him, but 
 neither of the little group knew that for a mo- 
 ment the interest of the whole assembly was 
 fixed on that boy and not on the Games. 
 
 "It will be good news for Glentyre," said the 
 Duke, smiling. 
 
 "Thank you, sir," said Malcolm ; "it will in- 
 deed." 
 
 Then the crowd had to be cleared and they 
 went back to their places. 
 
 Jeanie was wild with excitement. 
 
 "Oh, Malcolm," she cried in a voice that was 
 meant to be a whisper, "do you know what has 
 happened? That boy who spoke to you and 
 who came with the Duke is called the Earl of 
 Carrick, and it is a secret, but he really is — " 
 
 "It will not be a secret much longer if you 
 tell the whole assembly," said Mr. Forrest. 
 "When people tell us secrets we must keep their 
 secrets. He congratulated you, Malcolm?" 
 
124 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Well, I am glad. Won't Neil be pleased?" 
 
 Malcolm looked at him anxiously. 
 
 "Do you think," he said, "that it would 
 really matter i£ I slipped away now? I must 
 tell Neil about it." 
 
 "But you will miss half the fun." 
 
 "I don't care about anything else," said the 
 boy. 
 
 "Then slip away if you like." 
 
 Malcolm mingled for a moment with the 
 crowd round the ground, then he passed out 
 of sight and found his pony, turning his back 
 on the music, the people and the shouting. Oc- 
 casionally, as he rode over the moor, sounds 
 came to him more and more faintly, and he 
 pictured it all, the swing of the kilt, the braw 
 coats of the men, the glitter of the band, and 
 the colors on the grand stand. But it was Neil 
 whom he saw more clearly; Neil lying alone 
 on his sofa, away from it all, seeing nothing of 
 the triumph of Glentyre, hearing none of the 
 glad shouts and thundering applause. So he 
 
THE GAMES 125 
 
 urged the pony over the ground in his wild im- 
 patience, leaving him at the door as he ran into 
 the castle. 
 
 Aunt Eflfie had gone away to rest, leaving 
 Neil alone, and he lay doing nothing, his 
 thoughts too busy with the Games to call for 
 reading. 
 
 Would it always be like this? Would he al- 
 ways be out of everything? 
 
 The door opened and Malcolm came in, his 
 face flushed with exercise, holding his bonnet 
 in his hand. 
 
 "Macrae's won," he cried, kneeling by his 
 brother's side. "No one came near him. They 
 were all so glad. The Duke sent his congrat- 
 ulations to you." 
 
 "Oh, Malcolm, and you left it all to tell me?" 
 
 "There was nothing else to wait for. Glen- 
 tyre has won at last." 
 
 Neil put his thin white hand on his brother's 
 brown one. "It's splendid," he said. "Run 
 up and tell Aunt Effie and then come back and 
 tell me everything." 
 
126 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 And there they found the two brothers when 
 at last they got home, full of all that they had 
 seen and heard. 
 
 "Oh, Malcolm," said Jeanie, "you missed so 
 much." 
 
 But Malcolm had found much, and the broth- 
 ers were not envious as she poured out her tale 
 of all that had taken place. 
 
 Then Macrae came in to see the Laird, who 
 heard with pleasure every detail of the event. 
 
 "It is very wonderful," said Jeanie to Nurse 
 that night as she went to bed, "how even in the 
 Games they did not care about winning for 
 themselves, but just thought of Glentyre." 
 
 "Aye, dear," said the old woman, "there is 
 no' a man on the place who would na' die for 
 the Laird." 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 A MOTOR TRIP 
 
 NOT long after this, Uncle Frank wrote 
 that he had a few days to spare, and if 
 Aunt Effie would like it he would motor up and 
 take the three children to some of the famous 
 places in Scotland. 
 
 He came, and Colin regarded his motor with 
 deep contempt. Neither did he like the fact 
 that the stranger helped the Laird into his 
 chair that evening for the journey into the 
 dining-hall. No one knew how long Dr. Elli- 
 son was in Neil's room after Neil had gone to 
 bed, but of course as the party were to start 
 early the next morning he wanted to see some- 
 thing of his young host before they went 
 away. 
 
 "Good-by, Neil," said Jeanie, kissing him. 
 
 "I do wish you could come, too." 
 
 127 
 
128 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 "So do I," he said, but there was no regret 
 in his tone. 
 
 "I will take care of them," said Uncle Frank, 
 "and my holiday is too short to go very far." 
 
 Everyone watched the start, and once on the 
 high road they flew on in search of adventures. 
 Malcolm had never been far away, and he en- 
 joyed the expedition as much as anyone. 
 
 It would be impossible to tell all that they 
 saw. They went through the beautiful scenery 
 in the Trossachs, and saw Loch Katrine, 
 which will always be associated with Scott's 
 poem, "The Lady of the Lake." It seemed 
 wonderful to Jeanie that one of the characters 
 was Malcolm Graeme ; and as Uncle Frank de- 
 scribed the story, with the stag-hunt and all 
 its adventures, the children determined to read 
 it as soon as they got home. 
 
 They saw the field of Bannockburn, and 
 Stirling Castle, with a history that reaches 
 back beyond all records. They saw the Wal- 
 lace monument standing high above the woods. 
 They saw Rob Roy's grave in the little old 
 
A MOTOR TRIP 129 
 
 kirkyard of Balquhidder, and learned that 
 every hill had its battles between the Gra- 
 hames and MacGregors. They saw the coul- 
 ter of a plough hanging outside the hotel at 
 Aberfoyle in memory of the famous fight in 
 Roh Roy. And Jeanie was delighted to find 
 that Aberfoyle was the reputed home of the 
 "little folk," the fairies, though no one could 
 be induced to say much about them. 
 
 Then they came to the only lake in Scotland, 
 Menteith, where is the famous island Inchma- 
 hone, or Isle of Rest. Ruins of the old Priory 
 remain, but the old glory and romance have 
 gone. "The Riders of Menteith" are spoken 
 of in history, but whether they were mor- 
 tal or of the nature of the fairies is not 
 known. 
 
 "Not long ago," said Uncle Frank, pointing 
 to the huge chestnut trees brought from Rome, 
 "ospreys built their nests in these trees. In 
 olden days the Earls of Menteith, the Gra- 
 hams, were always at war with the Macgreg- 
 ors." 
 
130 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 "Who is the Earl of Menteith now?" said 
 Jeanie quickly, 
 
 "There is none — some people think that 
 the rightful heir is a Graham now in Toronto, 
 but the title has died out." 
 
 They saw the relic of Bruce at Cardross, 
 it is said to have been left there when he 
 was visiting the Prior of Inchmahone — -his 
 huge sword, six feet two and a half inches in 
 length, weighing ten pounds. 
 
 "Few men could have wielded it," said Mal- 
 colm thoughtfully. 
 
 "No," said Dr. Ellison, "there was only one 
 Bruce." 
 
 Then as they went on he told them an old 
 legend which says that one of the Earls of 
 Menteith was entertaining a great company 
 when the wine ran short. He told his butler 
 to go to Stirling for more, and the man took a 
 cask and rowed towards the shore, but as he 
 got near it he saw two women among the reeds 
 at the margin. Each of them cut a bulrush, 
 crying, "Hae wi' you, Marion Bowie," "Hae 
 
A MOTOR TRIP 131 
 
 wi' ye, Elspa Hardie," mounted the rush and 
 flew up into the air. 
 
 Immediately the butler followed their ex- 
 ample, crying, "Hae wi' ye," as he bestrode his 
 bulrush. All flew along at lightning speed 
 till they descended in the Palace of the King 
 of France, where, being invisible, they had a 
 fine time. The butler filled his cask with 
 choice wine, and lest the Earl should doubt his 
 story, he took a drinking cup belonging to the 
 King. Then with cask and cup he flew back 
 on his bulrush to Inchtalla, where the Earl 
 found him asleep in the morning beside the 
 cask. 
 
 The story was soon told and the Earl enter- 
 tained his friends with the excellent wine, the 
 silver cup with its iieur de lis, gracing the ta- 
 ble. No date is given, so we cannot know 
 who was then King of France, or Earl of Men- 
 teith. 
 
 "I am afraid there are no witches now," 
 said Jeanie regretfully, and her uncle 
 laughed. 
 
132 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 Then they went on to Loch Lomond and saw 
 any number of islands. 
 
 "Oh, if we could only live on an island," said 
 Jeanie, "with just a boat, and build a house of 
 our own." 
 
 "Then you had better have the Brownies' 
 Isle," said her uncle, "but I am afraid that we 
 must not stay. Look round; all this country 
 has seen battles with the MacGregors. Their 
 savage ways made them hated by their neigh- 
 bors, and when once clan fought with clan the 
 feud was unending; but the MacGregors were 
 not to be exterminated, and though for a time 
 they had to take the name of some other clan, 
 they fought for King Charles in the civil wars, 
 and at last had their rights restored to them." 
 
 There was no time to stop long anywhere, 
 they got their meals in the towns through 
 which they passed, and fortunately the weather 
 kept fine all the time. 
 
 "Now for Glasgow," said Uncle Frank as 
 they ended luncheon at a small country inn. 
 
A MOTOR TRIP 133 
 
 A few children came near, watching the 
 motor curiously. 
 
 "Bawbee, bawbee," they cried. 
 
 "What do they mean?" asked Jeanie. 
 
 "A halfpenny," said Uncle Frank. 
 
 "Fancy calling a halfpenny a bawbee!" 
 
 "Why not ?" said Malcolm warmly. 
 
 "I will ask you another question, Malcolm," 
 said Uncle Frank. "Why is it called a baw- 
 bee?" And the boy did not know. 
 
 "Few people do," said Dr. Ellison as they 
 got into the motor. "There are Sulphur 
 Springs near the Bridge of Allan, and copper 
 is found there. The first halfpenny was 
 struck when James VI. was a baby ; he was the 
 son of Mary, Queen of Scots, you know. So 
 the people called the halfpenny a 'bawbee.' " 
 
 "That is a nice reason," said Jeanie, "and 
 if I can find a bawbee in my pocket I will toss 
 it to them." 
 
 Then they sped on once more, never stop- 
 ping till they reached Glasgow, the huge man- 
 
134 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 ufacturing town, which at first looked unat- 
 tractive. 
 
 There was not time to see much, but they 
 saw the old Cathedral of St. Mungo (or Ken- 
 tigern) with its beautiful crypt. 
 
 "This is the pillar," said Uncle Frank as they 
 stood in the dim light of the crypt, "behind 
 which Rob Roy heard the service. You will 
 read all about it one day in Scott's novel, but 
 much of the ancient beauty here has been de- 
 stroyed. All the old glass is gone. There is 
 hardly any old stained glass in Scotland." 
 
 It was difficult in the crowded town to re- 
 alize much of the old times. Uncle Frank 
 pointed out the Arms of the city, and told them 
 the ancient verse, 
 
 This is the tree that never grew, 
 This is the bird that never flew, 
 This is the bell that never rang, 
 This is the fish that never swam. 
 
 But nothing impressed Jeanie so much as a 
 little wood by the roadside near Auchterarder, 
 
A MOTOR TRIP 135 
 
 where stood a high stone cross to commemo- 
 rate the fact that a witch was burned there. 
 
 Her name, Maggie Waugh, and the date, 
 1657, are painted on the steps. It is said that 
 the last witch in Scotland was burnt in Crieff. 
 
 The boys were much more interested in the 
 Roman camp at Ardoch. 
 
 "This is well worth seeing," said Uncle 
 Frank, as they walked over the great site, "for 
 this is the largest Roman camp in the world, 
 and the most northerly point to which the Ro- 
 mans ever came. The greatest battle that they 
 ever fought at a distance from Rome was 
 fought near here in the year A. D. 86, on the 
 slopes of the Grampian range of mountains. 
 All north and west of this are the Highlands, 
 inhabited by the descendants of the Picts, while 
 the rest of the country was inhabited by the 
 Scots, who came from North Africa, Egypt and 
 Spain across to Ireland and then to Scotland. 
 The story is told that nearly three thousand 
 years ago, as the Scots in their progress from 
 the East passed through Egypt, their King 
 
136 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 married Phota, a daughter of a Pharaoh. He 
 gave her the Stone of Destiny as a wedding 
 gift, the stone that is said to have been Jacob's 
 pillow. They carried it along North Africa, 
 across Spain to Ireland, and thence after nearly 
 2,000 years across to lona's Isle, and thence to 
 Scone, outside Perth. And all through those 
 hundreds of years the King of the Scots al- 
 ways sat on it to be crowned. The prophecy 
 was, 'Wherever this Stone of Destiny may be 
 there will the King of the Scots reign.' " 
 
 "I had wondered sometimes," said Jock, 
 "how we got it." 
 
 "Well," said Uncle Frank, "to come back 
 to the Romans : they drove the Picts and Scots 
 back into the Highlands, and made a big wall 
 across Scotland, about seventy miles long. 
 You see the size of this camp; it held not far 
 short of a hundred thousand men. The Ro- 
 mans stayed here nearly two hundred years, 
 and Julius Caesar complained that the Scots 
 were the only nation he could not conquer. 
 Now we will go on to the Roman road." 
 
A MOTOR TRIP I37 
 
 The road which had run beside the great 
 wall was three or four times as broad as a 
 modern road, and it had been paved with flag- 
 stones for the chariots, cavalry and infantry. 
 Every few miles it opened out into large circles 
 (SO that cohorts and regiments and chariots 
 could pass one another without mixing, or a 
 body of men could rest without blocking the 
 road. 
 
 Then they motored on to Drummond Castle, 
 which has figured largely in the history of 
 Scotland, where the Dukes of Perth have been 
 deservedly famous. At the Battle of Culloden 
 the Duke of Perth was commander-in-chief of 
 Prince Charles Edward's army. 
 
 The children were delighted with the 
 Armory, and all that it contained. They saw 
 Queen Mary's tiny shoes and workbasket, and 
 Malcolm got the piper to tell him the history 
 of the stuffed eagle which had been a pet for 
 years, feeding with the poultry in a peace- 
 able manner. Then they climbed the tower, 
 and from its dizzy height they saw one of the 
 
138 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 most famous gardens in the world, laid out in 
 1660 and never altered. 
 
 "We must not stay," said Uncle Frank. "I 
 should have liked to show you every place of 
 interest in Scotland, but it would take months. 
 We shall pass TuUiebardine, the home of the 
 AthoUs, but we have no time to stay." 
 
 He pointed out to them the House of Gask, 
 the home of Laurence Oliphant and of Lady 
 Nairne, the writer of "The Auld Hoose." 
 Prince Charlie was once a guest there, and had 
 they had time to enter, they would have seen 
 the table at which he breakfasted, his spurs, 
 cockade and bonnet, and above all, the lock of 
 fair hair which was "dipt" by the wife of the 
 elder Laurence Oliphant. 
 
 Then they made their way back to Auchter- 
 arder, where Malcolm Canmore had his castle, 
 and Jeanie liked to feel that she was walking 
 on ground that was once trodden by the Saintly 
 Queen Margaret. The family of Malcolm still 
 live there and this is the oldest royal burgh in 
 Scotland. A deep ditch runs down both sides 
 
A MOTOR TRIP 139 
 
 of the street, and it is said that on one occasion 
 the EngHsh nobles were boasting before King 
 James the Sixth of Scotland of the number of 
 English gentlemen in a certain place in Eng- 
 land who lived in their moated houses ap- 
 proached by a drawbridge. 
 
 "In my royal Burgh of Auchterarder," said 
 the King with a twinkle in his eye for the Scots 
 present, "there are fifty-three drawbridges." 
 
 None of the English were likely to go far 
 enough north to see the town for themselves, 
 but it was perfectly true ; the flat stones which 
 can be withdrawn are there to this day, oppo- 
 site each house in the main street. 
 
 But Uncle Frank had kept the great surprise 
 to the last. 
 
 "Now," he said, "we are going to Kincar- 
 dine Castle, the home of Montrose. My 
 friends there have asked us to tea." 
 
 Jeanie gave a little scream of delight. 
 
 "A real Montrose?" she asked, but she 
 learned that the castle no longer belonged to 
 the old family, and the house had been rebuilt. 
 
140 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 Still it was a great thing to be where Montrose 
 had once lived, and the view of the glen and 
 the waterfall was still the same. As she bade 
 her kind hostess good-by she said, — 
 
 "I think this has been the greatest thing of 
 all, for we are Grahams, you see." 
 
 The lady smiled and kissed her ; then she and 
 her husband stood at the door watching them 
 down the drive, under the archway beneath 
 which James Graham must often have ridden 
 on his pony when a boy, to judge by the black- 
 smith's bill still to be seen for "shoon for Lord 
 James's horse." 
 
 Then they paid a flying visit to Crieff, one 
 of the most beautiful places in Scotland, but 
 there was no time to linger, and when they had 
 returned to Glentyre the boys had almost as 
 much to tell as Jeanie. 
 
 After the adventures had all been told, as 
 they sat at dinner, Dr. Ellison said that he must 
 return to Edinburgh the next day, and before 
 anyone else had time to say anything, Aunt 
 Effie added, 
 
A MOTOR TRIP 141 
 
 "And you are not going alone." 
 
 The children looked up, wondering what 
 fresh expedition was to take place; and it was 
 Uncle Frank who said, — 
 
 "I am going to carry the Laird off for a little 
 time, and I hope to send him home again 
 stronger." 
 
 Perhaps it was thought best to make the an- 
 nouncement in public, but everyone was taken 
 by surprise, for Neil had never left home, and 
 till now no hint had ever been given that he 
 might get any better. The color rushed into 
 Malcolm's face; Colin went out of the room 
 with a tray; something had got into Jock's 
 throat, and all that Jeanie could say was, — 
 
 "Oh, Neil!" 
 
 "Don't expect too much," he said hoarsely; 
 then Aunt Effie, regardless of the fact that 
 everyone had not quite finished dinner, rose 
 suddenly from her place. 
 
 What would be the end of it? Would Neil 
 ever move or walk like other people ? Malcolm 
 lingered by him after his cousins had gone to 
 
142 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 bed, hardly liking to ask questions, his mind 
 full of many thoughts. 
 
 "Dr. Ellison wants it," said his brother 
 slowly. "It is not that I expect to be different, 
 but he says it is possible. He has known those 
 who have been on their backs for years, get 
 about again." 
 
 He would not say more for fear of exciting 
 false hopes, but it was hours before either 
 brother went to sleep. 
 
 Meanwhile Dr. Ellison sat with the chap- 
 lain in the turret-room, explaining all that 
 could be explained, and Aunt Effie was pack- 
 ing a portmanteau for Neil to take on the first 
 journey he had ever taken in his life. The 
 start was made after breakfast; then wrapped 
 in rugs, with cushions under him, Neil was 
 placed in the back seat of the motor. Colin 
 watched him silently, while Bevis put his nose 
 inquiringly into the motor, wondering what 
 was going on. They were all there, including 
 Nurse, who was inclined to disapprove of the 
 whole expedition. Neil had never slept a night 
 
A MOTOR TRIP 143 
 
 out of the Castle, he had never seen anything 
 that lay beyond the view from the paved court, 
 and the household had grown used to this fact. 
 No one could tell the excitement which he felt 
 at the possibility before him, and when at last 
 the motor had started, leaving the group by 
 the door waving handkerchiefs till it was out 
 of sight, he watched with intense delight all 
 that he could see as they flew along. Conver- 
 sation was out of the question, for Dr. Ellison 
 drove the motor; besides which Neil would be 
 tired out by the end of the journey, without 
 extra effort. But the outside world, of which 
 he had often dreamt, was opened to him for 
 the first time, and Neil was conscious of a sense 
 of hope which he had never had before. 
 
 Once on the high road they went at full 
 speed. Before Edinburgh was reached Neil 
 would be almost worn out, and it was possible 
 that they might have to break the journey for 
 a few days. But at last, to the anxious party 
 at Glentyre came the news of the safe arrival 
 at Edinburgh, and then came a long silence, 
 
144 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 which each one interpreted differently; and 
 Bevis moved about sedately and without spirit, 
 as if all his old life had gone out of him. 
 
 "To-morrow we shall hear," said Aunt Effie 
 morning after morning, when no letter came. 
 And still they waited. 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 LOST ON THE MOOR 
 
 *'TT TE had better go on playing and pre- 
 ^ » tending," said Jeanie one day, in her 
 decided way, "it will make the time seem 
 shorter, and we can't do any good to Neil by be- 
 ing miserable at home." 
 
 "We are not miserable," said Jock; but the 
 boys moved off with her to the loch, and Bevis 
 condescended to come with them. 
 
 Some discussion followed, as Jeanie wanted 
 to be Prince Charlie ; which Malcolm said would 
 be very absurd as she was the only girl and 
 they were both boys. 
 
 "It will be quite as absurd for me to be one 
 of the soldiers," said Jeanie. 
 
 "Then you might be Flora Macdonald," said 
 Malcolm. "She did a great deal for the 
 Prince. The Island can be Skye, and you can 
 be there waiting for the Prince when we ar- 
 
 145 
 
146 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 rive by boat. We will get some matches and 
 have a fire. I know that one day he cooked a 
 sheep's heart, and at another time Flora was 
 exhausted at the bottom of the boat. We can 
 act all this with a few clothes and things." 
 
 Jeanie was reconciled to the idea of not being 
 the Prince, and a little food was begged from 
 the kitchen, which made the scene very real. 
 Bevis represented a few of the Prince's follow- 
 ers, but the only part which seemed to interest 
 him was his share of the meal when it was 
 cooked. The children came in to tea with very 
 red faces, and Aunt Effie asked what had hap- 
 pened. 
 
 "We have supped off sheep's heart," said 
 Jeanie, "and the fire required a good deal of 
 blowing, so we had to get very near it." 
 
 "Then you will not want much tea," said 
 Aunt Effie with a twinkle in her eye. 
 
 "Oh, yes. We are very hungry. You see 
 we left most of the meal for the Prince." 
 
 All that evening Jeanie read hard, so the boys 
 
LOST ON THE MOOR 147 
 
 went out alone, and even when Nurse was 
 brushing her hair, Jeanie had her book open — 
 
 "We can only die once," she murmured. 
 "Could we ever die in a better cause ?" 
 
 "Why, lassie," said the old woman, "dinna' 
 talk o' deeing." 
 
 "I am Lord Kingsburgh," said Jeanie, "and 
 I am saving the Prince." 
 
 Long, long after she was in bed she planned 
 it all. They would wander on the moor pur- 
 sued by the enemy, and they would disguise the 
 Prince as Betty Burke. If only they had a 
 secret room in the castle in which to hide him, 
 how splendid it would be ! Where had he slept 
 when he really was at Glentyre? This and a 
 hundred other questions rushed through her 
 mind till at last she fell asleep to dream of home 
 and her mother. 
 
 The next morning, Mr. Forrest found her 
 unusually quiet at lessons, but she was by no 
 means quiet when after luncheon they were all 
 free for the whole afternoon. 
 
148 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 "We can't have Bevis," said Malcolm, "be- 
 cause Colin is going into Carmoges and will 
 take him, so that leaves three of us. I£ you 
 like, Jeanie," he added slowly, "you might be 
 the Prince for part of the time, dressed up as 
 a woman." 
 
 Jeanie gave a joyful shout. 
 
 "But let us have a little fighting first," said 
 Jock. "I've collected all kinds of things for 
 swords and guns. I will be the Prince first, 
 hiding, and you shall find me and attack me, 
 and I will slay you both." 
 
 They took the weapons, wandering away to 
 where the heather grew thickly, and then the 
 search became exciting till, as the Prince had 
 fled and the enemy pursued, they got even fur- 
 ther from the castle. 
 
 At last it was Jeanie's turn to personate the 
 Prince, and keeping behind the shelter of 
 heather and bracken she ran on and on till she 
 had left the enemy far behind her. Then she 
 came to a little hollow which would make a 
 splendid retreat, but when she had entered it the 
 
LOST ON THE MOOR 149 
 
 undergrowth was too low for a hiding-place, 
 so she went up the opposite hill. 
 
 She had entirely thrown herself into the 
 spirit of the times, and thought of the boys as 
 real soldiers. 
 
 "I will reward the Jacobites," she said to 
 herself, "when the war is over, and I am 
 crowned king. Now this really is a good 
 place to hide in ; it will be long before they find 
 
 me. 
 
 She crept under the bracken and tucked her 
 feet under her, glad to rest for a while; then 
 she listened for the sound of voices, but they 
 did not come. 
 
 "Perhaps I shall escape, after all," she 
 thought. 
 
 Then she picked a bit of fern and tasted it, 
 after which she shut her eyes for a minute as 
 the sun had made them drowsy; and then, 
 though she did not know it, her head fell back 
 on the kind earth and she dropped asleep. The 
 Prince must often have slept on mountain and 
 glen, so it was quite a natural thing to do, but 
 
150 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 when she opened her eyes with a start it took 
 her a few moments to realize where she was. 
 
 She stretched herself and stood up cautiously 
 lest the boys should be near, but she could see 
 nothing. All the mountains and heather had 
 gone away, there were no trees nor bracken 
 nor stones to be seen; everything had turned 
 into a soft grayish cloud which came close to 
 her so that she could only see the ground at 
 her feet. For one moment she was frightened, 
 then she said, — 
 
 "It is a fog. Colin told me about them. I 
 had better go home." 
 
 She stepped out of her hiding place and 
 shook out her frock. 
 
 "The fog is helping the Prince the day," she 
 said in imitation of Colin ; then she started for 
 home. 
 
 But the fog crept round her and she could 
 scarcely see a yard ahead. Once she heard 
 the sound of running water; she had not no- 
 ticed the stream before; then she left it and 
 went on, but after a time she grew tired. She 
 
LOST ON THE MOOR 15 1 
 
 did not know she had come so far ; perhaps the 
 boys would hear her if she shouted, so she 
 called, — 
 
 "Jock! Malcolm! Malcolm! Jock!" and 
 waited for an answer; but none came, and the 
 thick fog crept round her more closely, while 
 there was an awful silence everywhere. 
 
 There was nothing for it but to walk on, 
 and poor Jeanie went on, never knowing how 
 hopeless it is to walk in a fog which deludes you 
 at every step, so that you often walk round and 
 round when you think that you have gone miles. 
 She stopped for a time and sat on a large stone, 
 then she started on once more, keeping all fear 
 out of her mind by a strong effort. 
 
 "Prince Charlie must often have been out in 
 fogs," she thought. "Colin says they go as 
 sudden as they come. Perhaps I am really 
 quite near home. I will call again. Jock! 
 Malcolm! Malcolm! Jock!" 
 
 Once more there was the weird, terrible si- 
 lence, as if she were the only living creature in 
 the whole world. 
 
152 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 "It must be near tea time. I am very hun- 
 gry." 
 
 She spoke aloud, for it seemed less lonesome 
 to hear even her own voice ; then she quickened 
 her pace, though her feet were aching. How 
 pleasant it would be to sit round the table eat- 
 ing scones and baps and drinking hot tea, and 
 how they would laugh over her good hiding 
 place. What was this? She had nearly run 
 into something; was it a tree? No; it moved, 
 and a pair of bright eyes looked at her out of 
 the fog. It was one of the long-horned cattle. 
 Jeanie caught her breath, and turned quickly 
 away. Should she sit down and wait, or would 
 the cattle come all round her, nearer and 
 nearer ? 
 
 "Why for should the Hieland cattle hurt a 
 wee bairn ?" 
 
 Nurse had said that. Nurse must know. 
 Was it really getting darker or was it only the 
 fog? "I won't cry," said Jeanie desperately. 
 "They never cried, — Bruce and Montrose and 
 Queen Mary and Prince Charlie. I am a Scot, 
 
LOST ON THE MOOR 153 
 
 I must not cry. Oh, why don't they come? 
 They must know there is a fog. Oh, let some- 
 one come! Which way shall I go? I must 
 be nearly home." 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 THE GREAT SECRET 
 
 POOR Jeanie had hard work not to cry, for 
 each moment the fog wrapped itself more 
 closely round her, and when she suddenly came 
 against a tree or a stone she was right upon 
 it before she saw it, and in spite of Nurse's 
 opinion, she did not relish the idea that the 
 long-horned cattle were near her. She could 
 not run, it was too dark for that, and she was 
 getting cold. Long ago, Malcolm and Jock 
 must have had their tea, unless they were still 
 looking for her. Again and again she shouted, 
 but no answer came, and darkness came down 
 over the fog, which made it hopeless to get 
 an3rwhere. 
 
 "I hate the darkness," said Jeanie; but even 
 as she spoke, the word suggested something to 
 her mind. What had Mr. Forrest taught them 
 on Sunday? It seemed almost as if he had 
 
 IS4 
 
THE GREAT SECRET 155 
 
 guessed what would happen, for he had 
 told them that it was a good prayer to use if 
 they were frightened at night ; and folding her 
 hands Jeanie said aloud, catching her breath 
 occasionally, — "Lighten our darkness, we be- 
 seech Thee, O Lord; and by Thy great mercy 
 defend us from all perils (she thought of the 
 cattle) and dangers of this night; for the love 
 of Thy only Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. 
 Amen." 
 
 She had shut her eyes as she always did 
 when she said her prayers, and when she opened 
 them it certainly seemed lighter. Yes; she 
 could see the grass and heather and a tree at 
 some distance; but as the fog rolled away she 
 realized that it was really growing dark; and 
 thinking she was near home she went on down 
 the hill, longing for tea and rest. But it was 
 not the hill near the loch, and she started on 
 again weary and footsore. 
 
 "I am really like the Prince, now," she said 
 once. "Oh, I wish someone would come." 
 
 Suddenly she found herself near a cottage. 
 
156 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 and her hopes revived. She stumbled up to 
 the door and knocked. 
 
 "Who's there ?" called a voice within. 
 
 Jeanie might have said, "A wayfarer," but 
 she forgot that episode in Bruce's life, and re- 
 plied, "It's me." 
 
 The door opened, letting a ray of light out 
 into the darkness, and Jeanie saw an old woman 
 holding a lamp in her hand. 
 
 "Wha' are ye, lassie?" she said. 
 
 "I am the Laird's cousin," said Jeanie firmly, 
 in spite of trembling lips, and the old woman's 
 voice changed at once. 
 
 "Come ben the hoose," she said; and poor, 
 tired, hungry Jeanie followed her into the 
 warmth. 
 
 "Puir bairn, ye are fair starved wi' the 
 cauld." 
 
 Jeanie's thin frock was soaked, beads of wet 
 stood on her hair, and she sank down on the 
 rug almost worn out, while the woman took off 
 her clothes and wrapped her in warm shawls. 
 
 The kettle was boiling, and soon she was 
 
THE GREAT SECRET 157 
 
 drinking hot tea and eating bannocks which 
 tasted better than any food she had ever had 
 in her life. With her bare feet tucked under 
 her, she told the story of her adventures, which 
 seemed amusing now that she was safe and 
 sound; but the old woman looked grave and 
 peered out into the darkness. 
 
 "The Laird will be greeting sair the day," 
 she said, "and Donald no' here to be givin' him 
 word." 
 
 After some time a lad came in with a sheep 
 dog, wet and weary, but he started off when his 
 grandmother had explained matters to him in 
 words that were quite unintelligible to Jeanie. 
 There was an old couch in the room, which the 
 woman pushed near the fire; then she tucked 
 up Jeanie with all the shawls she could find, 
 taking the little hand in hers to make sure that 
 it was warm. The child told her of their game, 
 and at the mention of Prince Charlie, the old 
 woman became interested. She could tell 
 something if she liked, because her father had 
 been steward at Glentyre long ago. She went 
 
158 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 on to say that it was a secret, and at once 
 Jeanie determined to learn it. 
 
 At last her coaxing prevailed and then she 
 became so much interested that she forgot her 
 own adventures and fatigue, and the great sub- 
 ject was not finished when there was a sound 
 at the door and Mr. Forrest came in quickly. 
 One glance reassured him; then he turned to 
 thank the old woman, handing her a bag of dry 
 clothes for Jeanie to put on. 
 
 While she was dressing, he and the lad 
 waited outside with the horse, and in a quarter 
 of an hour, after many farewell whisperings 
 which puzzled the chaplain, Jeanie got into the 
 carriage and was driven home. He told her 
 of their fright at home, and of the hours in 
 which they had searched in vain; and she told 
 him all that had happened on the moors; but 
 of what the old woman had said she repeated 
 never a word, for that was intrusted to her 
 as a secret, and though the excitement of it was 
 almost more than she could bear, she shut her 
 lips closely. 
 
THE GREAT SECRET 159 
 
 "She told me because I am one of the clan," 
 she said to herself. "I am a Graham, and I 
 will behave like a Graham." 
 
 Then the drive was over, and they were all 
 at the door to meet her. 
 
 "You never found Prince Charlie," she cried. 
 "I was too clever for you this time." 
 
 "Are you quite well, dear ?" asked Aunt EflEe, 
 holding her fast. "Thank God you are safe." 
 
 They would not let her stop to talk to the 
 boys then; she had something hot and was 
 taken to bed. 
 
 "I know I shan't sleep. Nurse," she said. 
 "I have so much to think of," but almost as 
 soon as she lay down she was sound asleep. 
 
 "She is a true Graham," said Mr. Forrest, 
 "and never broke down in all those hours of 
 wandering, not even when she found herself 
 close to the dreaded cattle." 
 
 "Bless her!" said Aunt Effie. 
 
 The next day Jeanie thought that she should 
 never be alone with the boys, the hours seemed 
 so long before she could at last say, — 
 
l6o THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 "I have something wonderful to tell you. It 
 must be told only to a Graham, Is Jock a Gra- 
 ham?" 
 
 "As much as you are, Jeanie. We count in 
 Scotland by the clan, he is our clansman." 
 
 "Then," said Jeanie, bringing out her news 
 with delight, "I know the secret. I can tell 
 you." 
 
 "What?" they cried. 
 
 "The secret-room where Prince Charlie 
 slept." 
 
 "Nonsense," said Malcolm, while Jock began 
 to frown. 
 
 "It is quite true," said Jeanie. "The old 
 woman in the cottage where I was yesterday is 
 the daughter of an old steward of Glentyre, 
 and she said that the secret was handed down 
 not only through the lairds, but through the 
 stewards, they told their eldest son, but this 
 woman's father had no sons, so when he was 
 dying he told her, and the stewards were only 
 to tell it to a Graham and no one was to enter 
 the room without the Laird. She thought 
 
THE GREAT SECRET l6l 
 
 Neil knew. But some Laird must have died 
 without telling his son, — in a hurry perhaps." 
 
 She paused and looked at Malcolm. 
 
 "Where is the room?" he asked gravely. 
 
 "I can show you if you come into the dining- 
 hall. Is anyone there?" 
 
 Malcolm went to see, returning to say that 
 the room was empty. 
 
 Jeanie took them over to the fireplace, and 
 even then the boys did not take the matter 
 seriously. 
 
 "You count the tiles on the right side, from 
 the bottom, and when you come to the seventh, 
 it is a different color. One, two, three, four, 
 five, six, seven — It is!" cried Jeanie trium- 
 phantly. 
 
 "And then?" said Malcolm. 
 
 "You take a knife and insert it round this 
 tile." 
 
 Jock opened his knife, ran it round the tile, 
 and in one moment it had sprung open on a 
 hinge. They all pressed forward to see, and 
 there was a small black knob. 
 
l62 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 "You pull that," said Jeanie in an excited 
 whisper. 
 
 Malcolm pulled it, and slowly, about two 
 yards to the right of the fireplace the panels of 
 the wall opened as if they were a small door. 
 Jeanie's heart was thumping so wildly that she 
 could not move ; it was Malcolm who peeped in 
 at the door and said, "There are steps going 
 up." 
 
 "We mustn't go in," said Jeanie, "till Neil 
 comes. Oh, I wish he was at home !" 
 
 "We had better shut it up," said Malcolm, 
 "in case anyone comes. I suppose we must 
 not tell Mr. Forrest, and perhaps we had bet- 
 ter not tell Aunt Effie till Neil is back. I won- 
 der if it will shut quite easily." 
 
 It did, and in a few minutes everything 
 looked as usual. Many were the surmises as 
 to what would be found in the room, and it 
 was very difficult to settle to any occupation; 
 but nothing further could be discovered till the 
 Laird returned from Edinburgh. 
 
um 
 
 ►MALCOLnj^HD^ 
 
 ■ — — f?rrrq^ 
 
CHAPTER XV, 
 
 WHAT CAME AT LAST 
 
 NEWS came at last that Neil was better; 
 then came a letter announcing the day 
 and hour of his arrival, making all arrange- 
 ments. Aunt Efifie read sentences out of the 
 letter, but she did not read it all aloud to the 
 party assembled for breakfast, and Malcolm 
 fancied that she wiped away a tear when no 
 one was looking. 
 
 "I doubt he is not much better," he thought 
 sadly. 
 
 A carriage was to be sent from the hotel, but 
 
 Colin was to drive the old horse to the station 
 
 and see to the luggage, and Jeanie might come 
 
 to meet them. Anyone would have thought 
 
 by all the cleaning and polishing that went on 
 
 at the Castle that morning that Neil was an 
 
 honored stranger coming to stay; Aunt Effie 
 
 hardly sat down a moment. Jeanie pictured 
 
 163 
 
164 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 the meeting at the station. As Neil was lifted 
 out she would say, — 
 
 "And hoo's the Laird the day?" 
 
 The train was due, and Colin was giving 
 short answers to a "puir blethering body," who 
 pestered him with questions. Another mo- 
 ment and the train came round the curve, 
 slowed down and reached the platform. The 
 door of a carriage was opened and Uncle Frank 
 jumped out, while Jeanie was running from the 
 other end, seized with a fear that Neil might 
 be carried on. Then someone else stepped out, 
 tall and upright, strong and well. It was Neil ! 
 It was Neil ! Something had got into Jeanie's 
 throat and she could not speak; but as she 
 reached the spot she heard the station-master 
 say in a calm voice, — 
 
 "And hoo's the Laird the day?" 
 
 "Well, Boyd; quite well, thank you. Why, 
 Jeanie — " 
 
 But the little girl could only say "Neil," in 
 a voice that was half a sob and half a cry, 
 while the "puir blethering body" was hustled 
 
WHAT CAME AT LAST 165 
 
 into the train by a porter, or she would have 
 stood all day to look at the Laird. 
 
 "Well, Colin," said Neil, holding out his 
 hand, but the old man muttered that if he did 
 not go to see to the bits of luggage everything 
 would be left behind. Little would a casual 
 observer have guessed that every man in the 
 station was happier than he had been for years. 
 
 Meanwhile, at home Aunt Effie with Mal- 
 colm and Jock stood near the great doorway, 
 watching the distant hilltop, while Mr. Forrest 
 with Bevis went up the hill so as to give the 
 first signal of arrival. At last he waved his 
 handkerchief and ran back to the house, but 
 Bevis bounded forward as if he understood it 
 all. The carriage had reached the crest of the 
 hill, and the driver saw the party in the paved 
 court. No one had ever driven the young 
 Laird home before, and in spite of the driver's 
 "dour" face he was bursting with pride. 
 Whipping up the horses he drove down the hill 
 at a fast trot, Bevis bounding by his side. 
 Aunt Effie had her hand on Malcolm's shoulder 
 
l66 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 as she scanned the occupants of the carriage. 
 Neil was sitting upright, he was wearing his 
 bonnet; now a turn in the road hid all but the 
 driver from sight, then they were near, there 
 was the clatter of horses' hoofs on the pave- 
 ment, the door of the carriage was thrown open 
 and Uncle Frank jumped out. 
 
 "Well, quite well," he said, breaking the aw- 
 ful silence; then Neil stepped out and held 
 Aunt Effie in his arms. 
 
 "Thank God," she murmured ; then Dr. Elli- 
 son with an old-world courtesy offered her his 
 arm, while Malcolm wondered why his eyes 
 smarted and his voice refused to speak. 
 
 ■ "Why, laddie," said Neil, and the spell was 
 broken ; after which they all talked at once. 
 
 Macrae was in the background with his wife 
 and children, and soon the glad news spread 
 over the estate. 
 
 "You must come in and rest now," said Dr. 
 Ellison, "for the train was rather shaky." 
 Then lifting his voice he said to the group 
 gathered near, "The Laird is quite strong and 
 
WHAT CAME AT LAST 167 
 
 well, and very soon he will ride and shoot 
 and do everything he likes. But just now he 
 must rest after his journey. He will soon be 
 coming to see you all." A stifled sob from old 
 Nurse caught his ear. "Come in and get him 
 on the sofa," he said. "You know his ways." 
 
 Half an hour later Mr. Forrest found Jock 
 and Jeanie alone. 
 
 "We thought they would like to be by them- 
 selves," Jock explained. 
 
 "And it's just his glorious morning face that 
 has deserved it," said Jeanie. " Oh, I am 
 glad!" 
 
 But before Uncle Frank left the Castle Mr. 
 Forrest got him to tell the steward and a few of 
 the retainers that Neil had been cured by nat- 
 ural means, for tales were afloat of fairies and 
 magical skill, as if the fairy "stock" had gone 
 away in the motor and the real Laird had come 
 back in his place. 
 
 So strong was the force of habit that Colin 
 came that evening to wheel the Laird in to 
 dinner. 
 
l68 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 ^'Never again, I hope," said Neil, rising to 
 his feet. 
 
 "Oh, Neil," said Jeanie, expressing what 
 they all felt, "I did not think you were so 
 tall." 
 
 No one was happier than Malcolm, though 
 he was as silent as ever. Nothing mattered 
 now that Neil was well, not if they remained 
 poor all their lives. To-morrow they would 
 show him the secret-room; possibly there 
 would be some sign of Prince Charlie there; 
 Neil would be as much interested as they 
 were. 
 
 Malcolm let Jeanie tell the great news ; then 
 they all went to the dining-hall after Uncle 
 Frank had returned to Edinburgh the next 
 morning. 
 
 Slowly as before, the panel doorway swung 
 open, disclosing the steps. 
 
 "We must be careful," said Neil gravely. 
 "Someone must stay here in case the door shuts 
 again. It would never do to get shut in." 
 
 Mr. Forrest offered to mount guard in the 
 
WHAT CAME AT LAST 169 
 
 dining-hall, then Neil went up the few steps 
 cautiously, followed by Malcolm. 
 
 "It is dark," he called back. "Get matches 
 and a candle, Jock." 
 
 "No, take the lantern from the hall," said 
 Mr. Forrest. "Be careful not to set anything 
 on fire." 
 
 There was an anxious silence before the 
 light was handed up, then came a long-drawn 
 "Oh!" 
 
 "What is it?" called the chaplain. 
 
 "Give us more light," cried Neil excitedly. 
 "The lamp off my writing-table. Quick, 
 quick !" 
 
 No one had ever heard Neil speak like that 
 before. Jock and Jeanie had climbed into the 
 dim apartment and were peering into the cor- 
 ners. 
 
 "There's the bed where the Prince must have 
 slept," said Neil reverently, pointing to a mat- 
 tress on the floor with blankets thrown back. 
 "No, don't touch it. How the room is blocked 
 with cases and chests." 
 
lyo THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 "Here's the lamp," said Mr. Forrest in the 
 doorway. "Light it after you have put it 
 safely somewhere where it will not be knocked 
 over." 
 
 "I think," said Neil rather unsteadily, "that 
 you had better come up, and Malcolm go on 
 guard. — I think — oh!" he broke off, as there 
 came a sound of a creaking hinge. 
 
 Poor Malcolm; it was rather hard to go at 
 this point, but he went back, and in a minute 
 Mr. Forrest was in the room. 
 
 Some of the boxes were not locked; these 
 were filled' with things that evidently had been 
 thrown there in great haste. The chaplain 
 lifted out huge silver candlesticks, and plate 
 of every description, dulled by age, but bear- 
 ing the Graham crest or coat-of-arms. An- 
 other box contained jewelry, diamond pendants 
 and ropes of pearls. 
 
 "They must have been put here for safety," 
 said Neil breathlessly. 
 
 "Or perhaps the Laird of that day gave them 
 to the Prince," said Mr. Forrest. 
 
WHAT CAME AT LAST 17 1 
 
 "These boxes are locked," said Jock, tugging 
 away at the lids. 
 
 "Run to the study and bring me a bunch of 
 very old keys from the writing-table drawer," 
 said Neil. "Then you keep guard while Mal- 
 colm comes back." 
 
 Malcolm felt rewarded when he had the 
 bunch of keys given to him to fit into the locks. 
 At last he found the right key and lifted a 
 heavy lid. 
 
 "Money," he whispered. "Gold! Oh! 
 look!" 
 
 They all looked, and Neil took hold of the 
 chaplain's arm. 
 
 "Sit down," said Mr. Forrest, placing him 
 on the nearest box. "This is rather much for 
 you just now." 
 
 "No, I am all right. Was all this placed 
 here for safety, or for the Prince?" 
 
 "We shall never know," said Mr. Forrest. 
 
 There was every appearance of a hasty 
 flight. The room had never been rearranged 
 since the Prince had slept there, and possibly 
 
172 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 the household had gone away with him, or met 
 with a violent death. 
 
 It was near luncheon-time, and at the chap- 
 lain's suggestion they left the room, making 
 all secure, and while the children went out, 
 Neil rested in his study, asking that Aunt Effie 
 might be sent to him. 
 
 She came in hurriedly, thinking that he was 
 not well, and he held out his hand, still white 
 and thin. 
 
 "Dear Aunt EfiEe," he said, "sit down. I 
 have something to tell you." 
 
 Then he told his news in a voice that was 
 not quite steady. 
 
 "You have been so brave and good when we 
 have been poor," he said, "and I know all that 
 you must have done. But Glentyre is poor no 
 longer — " 
 
 "Nay, laddie, we are not poor now that our 
 Laird is strong and well." 
 
 "Not only that," he said, "but we have found 
 the room where the Prince lay, and it is full of 
 treasure, more plate than we can ever use. 
 
WHAT CAME AT LAST 173 
 
 pearls and diamonds, besides boxes of gold, 
 and papers that may mean wealth. Oh, Aunt 
 Effie, Glentyre gave all that for the Prince." 
 
 "I cannot understand," she said slowly. 
 
 "Will you come and see ?" and in a few min- 
 utes they stood together, the young Laird and 
 the old lady, in the dusty, silent room, looking 
 at the wealth around them. Then slowly a 
 tear rolled down her cheek, 
 
 "Oh, laddie," she sighed, "if we could have 
 saved him, and seen him crowned King! To 
 think that all who knew the secret should have 
 died — except an old woman who was too ig- 
 norant to tell what she knew!" 
 
 Then they shut the room again and spoke of 
 all that must be done before they could move 
 this long hidden treasure. 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 GLENTYRE JEWELS 
 
 SATURDAY brought the further good 
 news that Major EUison was well again, 
 and that he and Mrs. Ellison were coming very 
 soon to take the children home. 
 
 "So many good things have happened," said 
 Jeanie, laying down the letter. 
 
 "Yes," said Neil, "but if the one bad thing 
 of losing you had not happened, I wonder 
 whether we should ever have found the secret 
 room. Old Lispeth seems to have been the last 
 person intrusted with the secret." 
 
 No one in the household ever forgot that 
 Sunday. Summer had given place to autumn, 
 and the trees were every shade of gold and yel- 
 low, while the bracken, pale as primrose in 
 places, shone gloriously over the moors that 
 were now bronze with heather. Jeanie never 
 
 174 
 
GLENTYRE JEWELS 175 
 
 again heard the hymn "Jerusalem the Golden" 
 without thinking of that day. 
 
 "Perhaps it was just because we were all 
 feeling so golden," she said long afterwards to 
 her mother, "and there was the sunshine 
 streaming through the tiny windows right on 
 Neil with his glorious morning face, and he 
 stood up looking just splendid. Then Mr. 
 Forrest read his name out in the service and 
 said how thankful we all were, and of course 
 it was only choking, but it sounded as if some- 
 one gave a sob." 
 
 But the most unusual thing happened in the 
 afternoon when the steward appeared with his 
 wife and children to attend the kirk in the cas- 
 tle. For Macrae was a Presbyterian and went 
 usually to his own church. The chapel was 
 full, for many had driven over from a distance, 
 and no one knew whether their coming all at 
 once was accidental, or whether they had heard 
 of the Laird's recovery and come to join their 
 thanksgiving with his. The sight of Neil in 
 his invalid chair was so familiar to all that 
 
176 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 when at the end of the psalms he left his place 
 and turned round to read the lesson, a sudden 
 hush fell on the dim little chapel. Macrae sat 
 as if he were carved in stone, his hand resting 
 on his bronzed knee, his fine head erect, and 
 no one seeing him would have guessed what it 
 meant for him to break through the custom of 
 a lifetime and come to worship with his Laird 
 on this great occasion. But perhaps no one, 
 not even Neil himself, was happier than Mal- 
 colm. Never again would people speak of Neil 
 pityingly. Glentyre could hold his own at last. 
 Jeanie looked across at Agnes and Jessie Ma- 
 crae, and it seemed to her as if what had really 
 happened was more wonderful than all their 
 games and pretendings. Then Neil was doing 
 the honors of the house and seeing his guests 
 to their carriages as if he had been used to 
 it all his life. 
 
 "No wonder," said Mrs. Ferguson with a lit- 
 tle catch in her voice, "that the story has gone 
 abroad that the fairies have been at work at 
 Glentyre." 
 
GLENTYRE JEWELS 177 
 
 "Not fairies," said Neil, "but doctors and 
 nurses with a skill that is marvelous. After 
 a course of massage I had just to learn to walk 
 as a child learns, and I shall not soon lose the 
 delight of my new accomplishment." 
 
 But the other great event of the past week 
 was told to no one, and in the darkness of the 
 secret room the bedclothes were left as they 
 had been since the hurried flight of long ago, 
 with the blankets flung back, and the dent still 
 to be seen in the pillow where at least for one 
 night the hapless Prince slept safe and sound 
 in the home of those who risked all in his serv- 
 ice; while in the dust-covered chests lay the 
 gold and the plate and the jewels of long ago. 
 
 Lessons were forgotten for a time, Mr. For- 
 rest went and came, but whether London or 
 Edinburgh was his destination the children 
 did not know. Then strange gentlemen ap- 
 peared, and Glentyre seemed very different 
 from the quiet place it had been at first, but 
 Malcolm showed no curiosity and his cousins 
 kept silence. Neil himself drove Jeanie to the 
 
178 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 cottage to thank old Lispeth for her care of 
 the child, and Jeanie carried her a dress length 
 of tartan, which pleased the old woman 
 greatly. It was soon after this that one morn- 
 ing after breakfast, as they were about to leave 
 the dining-hall, Neil said, — 
 
 "Will you all wait a minute? I have some- 
 thing to tell you." His voice trembled a little 
 and Malcolm looked up, but Neil was smiling. 
 "Everything is settled at last," he said, "for 
 even when you find treasure in your own home 
 it does not always belong to you. Besides all 
 that you saw, there were papers of great value, 
 and in the time of Prince Charlie the Grahams 
 were not poor." Neil paused a moment and 
 Mr. Forrest smiled at his way of putting it, but 
 a Scot never speaks much of wealth. "We 
 shall have the plate cleaned," went on Neil, 
 "and use what we want, and I hope that Aunt 
 Effie will wear whatever jewelry she cares for, 
 but I want Jeanie to have something, for if 
 she had not been lost in the fog we might never 
 have found the secret room at all." 
 
GLENTYRE JEWELS 179 
 
 "Oh, Neil," cried Jeanie, her eyes shining. 
 
 "But as your father and mother will be here 
 this week, we will leave the jewelry till they 
 come and all look it through together. We 
 will celebrate their visit by using the rooms 
 that have so long been shut up, and one even- 
 ing, if it will not give Aunt Effie too much 
 trouble, we will ask our friends and neighbors 
 and have what Glentyre cannot remember — a 
 party." 
 
 And this was the Laird's modest way of put- 
 ting the fact that he was now a rich man. 
 Later he found Colin and talked to him, but 
 what he said no one ever knew. Macrae, who 
 came up as Neil went away, queried for infor- 
 mation and received from Colin the answer, — 
 
 "The Laird might ha' said 'twas fine weather 
 the day." And there was nothing more to be 
 learned from him; but later various additions 
 were made to the household, and Colin had 
 more spare time. 
 
 Then came the glad day of the arrival of 
 Major and Mrs. Ellison, and as they drove up 
 
i8o THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 to the castle, the whole party were awaiting 
 them; Neil, looking every inch a Laird as he 
 stood in his Highland dress in the old door- 
 way, with Bevis by his side ; Malcolm with his 
 honest, boyish face beaming more than in the 
 old days ; Aunt Effie, tall and stately ; and Jock 
 and Jeanie wild with excitement. 
 
 There was so much to tell and to hear that, 
 as Major Ellison had said, they had to take it 
 in turns to speak. He was now well and 
 strong, which was the best news, but when the 
 first greetings were over Mrs. Ellison was as 
 much excited about the secret room as the chil- 
 dren had been. It would take too long to tell 
 how Nurse cried over her and kissed her ; how 
 Colin became talkative over bygone memories ; 
 how she went to see Lispeth and all the old 
 retainers she had known in her childhood ; and 
 how she wandered with the children into every 
 corner of the castle. The boxes of jewelry 
 were brought down and turned out on the 
 study table, where the diamonds flashed in the 
 sunlight. 
 
GLENTYRE JEWELS l8l 
 
 "I should like you to choose what you like. 
 Cousin Margaret," said Neil, "for if they had 
 been discovered earlier, many of them would 
 have been yours." 
 
 He himself hung a pearl necklace round 
 Jeanie's neck, and when her mother protested 
 he said laughingly, — 
 
 "Jewels are nothing to Malcolm and me." 
 
 "They will be some day," she said gravely. 
 "Now, if you really wish me to have some of 
 the things, I should like these," and she 
 grouped together what she had chosen. 
 
 When at last everything was settled, and 
 the party was about to disperse, Mrs. Ellison 
 said, "I should like to imitate my patron saint, 
 and give some of these diamonds for the 
 chapel." She held them out to Mr. Forrest, 
 and Jeanie said, — 
 
 "Who is your patron saint, Mummy?" 
 
 "St. Margaret of Scotland. I expect you 
 have read of her?" 
 
 "Oh, yes. I know all about her Gospel Book 
 and the Black Rood." 
 
l82 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 "And did you know that St. Margaret was 
 descended from St. Ursula and from St. Eliza- 
 beth of Hungary?" 
 
 "I did not know that," said Mr. Forrest. 
 "I knew that St. Margaret was brought up at 
 the Court of Hungary, and that one of her sons 
 was St. David, 'the Sair Sainct for the 
 Croon'." 
 
 "Yes," said Mrs. Ellison, "he spent much 
 money on founding monasteries. We must 
 manage to see Melrose and Holyrood when we 
 are in Edinburgh." 
 
 Neil looked up, speaking in a low voice, — 
 
 "If something is to be done in the chapel," 
 he said, "I should like to contribute a few jew- 
 els. There is so much for which to be thank- 
 ful." And everyone agreed with him. 
 
 The party was a great success, and once 
 more the rooms through which Prince Charlie 
 walked were thrown open, and the walls echoed 
 with happy laughter. Neil himself was the 
 gayest there. 
 
 "Good-night, Jeanie," he said, when the last 
 
GLENTYRE JEWELS 183 
 
 guest was gone and she had come over to him, 
 leaning her fair head against his arm, looking 
 very pretty in her white dress with the pearls 
 round her neck. "I think we must thank you 
 for this party." 
 
 "Oh, Neil," she cried, "but it is almost the 
 end. We go away to-morrow." 
 
 "You will come back," he said. "Glentyre 
 will always be a home for you when you can 
 come, and Malcolm and I shall miss you and 
 Jock sorely." 
 
 It was hard to say good-by to everyone. 
 Nurse cried, and Jeanie clenched her little 
 hands firmly, trying to think of Montrose and 
 Bruce and Queen Mary. 
 
 "They failed," she said to herself, "but they 
 never failed to try — I am a Graham and a 
 Scot." 
 
 Silent as Malcolm was, he felt the parting as 
 much as anyone, for the last few months had 
 brought much interest into his life. At last 
 the carriage which took away the travelers 
 grew small in the distance, then the group by 
 
l84 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 the doorway turned back into the house — Mr. 
 Forrest to walk up the winding staircase and 
 resume his history, which would no more be 
 interrupted by the rush of hurried feet, or the 
 arrival of royal personages ; Aunt Effie to find 
 the house strangely quiet ; Malcolm to miss his 
 companions every hour of the day; while Neil 
 sat at his study-table, thinking over the changes 
 brought by the last few months. Then he rose 
 and went upstairs till he found himself in the 
 dim silence of the little chapel, where long, long 
 ago Prince Charlie must have knelt, and others 
 long since passed away. But when he came 
 down again, it was not of death that he 
 thought, but of life — the great gift which God 
 gives to His children, and had Jeanie been 
 there to see she would have been reminded of 
 the "glorious morning face" shown by the 
 Laird of Glentyre. 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 EDINBURGH 
 
 THE first place to which Major and Mrs. 
 Ellison took the children in Edinburgh 
 was Holyrood, and there they found so much 
 to delight them that it was difficult to get them 
 away. First they went to the old chapel where 
 many of Scotland's kings lie buried. 
 
 "Do you know why it is called Holyrood?" 
 asked their father. "One day when King 
 David I. was hunting, he was pinned down by 
 the horns of a stag and unable to escape, when 
 a fiery cross appeared between the stag's horns, 
 and the creature let him go free. This was 
 the King nick-named 'the Sair Sainct for the 
 Croon,' who founded so many abbeys; and in 
 memory of this escape he founded Holyrood, 
 or Holy Cross. Where all the houses now are 
 in High Street was then open country where 
 
 185 
 
l86 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 he rode and hunted. Queen Victoria did much 
 to preserve the chapel here, which was in a bad 
 state." 
 
 "This looks like a winding stair," said 
 Jeanie, pointing to an entrance where they 
 stood. 
 
 "Yes," said her mother, "when we go into 
 the Palace you will see the top of it in the 
 royal bedrooms. It was planned so that if the 
 life of the sovereign was attempted, he or she 
 could run down here for sanctuary; then no 
 one could touch them." 
 
 "Why are all these abbeys and chapels in 
 ruins?" said Jock. "Is it because they are so 
 old?" 
 
 "No," said his father, "most of them were 
 set on fire by King Henry VIII of England, 
 when he said he would 'light the Lothians,' 
 in his rage because James V. of Scotland would 
 not betroth his daughter Mary (Queen of 
 Scots) to Edward, who was afterwards Ed- 
 ward VI., when they were children." 
 
 They turned away from the ruined chapel 
 
EDINBURGH 187 
 
 and went up in the magnificent banqueting hall 
 which seats four hundred. 
 
 "Here," said Mr. Ellison, "Prince Charlie 
 came when, without a single battle, Edinburgh 
 fell into his hands. On that day of his tri- 
 umph he came on foot at the head of his sol- 
 diers, but so great was the crowd welcoming 
 him that he had to mount his charger ; and he 
 rode amongst his father's subjects, the Duke 
 of Perth on one hand and Lord Elcho on the 
 other. Then from these windows he bowed 
 to the cheering multitude. You can picture 
 the evening here, the scarlet of the Stewart 
 tartan, the blue sash which the Prince wore, 
 and the Star of the Order of St. Andrew, with 
 all the splendor that seemed within his reach. 
 Then we read that two nights later he joined 
 his troops and 'lay all night on the ground 
 without any covering but his plaid.' " 
 
 "I wish that kings came here now," said 
 Jock. 
 
 "They do," said his father quickly. "King 
 George dined here not long ago, and a most 
 
l88 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 magnificent ceremony it must have been. Let 
 us come on now and see the rooms occupied by 
 Mary, Queen of Scots." 
 
 They saw the old tapestry and quaint bed, 
 but Mrs. Ellison looked wistfully at the ora- 
 tory where the ill-fated Queen had so often 
 prayed. The children looked down the wind- 
 ing staircase which led to the chapel ; they saw 
 the spot where Riccio was murdered, and im- 
 agined the scuffle at the supper-table ; they ex- 
 amined the clock which Denmark gave to 
 Queen Anna, wife of King James VI., and 
 which is still going. Besides telling the hours, 
 it tells the days of the month, and only needs 
 winding twelve times a year. While they 
 were looking at this, a friend of Major Elli- 
 son came up who was delighted to see the chil- 
 dren, and promised to show them many things 
 not open to the general public. 
 
 "How is it that you can see them?" asked 
 Jeanie. 
 
 "Because," he said with a smile, "I am one 
 of the Royal Company of Archers." 
 
EDINBURGH 189 
 
 "Do you really have bows and arrows?" 
 asked Jock. 
 
 "Yes, I will take you to the Archers' Hall 
 and you shall see them being made. We are 
 the King's Royal Bodyguard. His Majesty's 
 person has been guarded in battle and on the 
 throne by the noblemen and gentlemen of Scot- 
 land with bows and arrows from time imme- 
 morial. After the Battle of Flodden, James 
 IV's body was found 'under a haystack of the 
 Royal Archers,' who had died over it to save 
 it from the English. Round it was wrapped 
 the flag of the Earl Marshal of Scotland, which 
 flag with the King's blood on it, I will show you 
 presently in the Advocates' Library. When in 
 the year 1300 the Scottish King gave the 
 meadows to the city of Edinburgh, he reserved 
 the end nearest Holyrood Palace where the 
 Royal Company have their headquarters. 
 Many European sovereigns, such as the Em- 
 peror of the Holy Roman Empire (now Aus- 
 tria) copied this Royal Scottish Bodyguard, 
 and often the foreign sovereign got the young- 
 
igo THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 est sons of Scottish noblemen to officer the 
 guards. The commander of the Royal Arch- 
 ers is called 'the Captain General' This title 
 was used in Spain, and for centuries past the 
 commander-in-chief of all the Spanish armies 
 is called 'the Captain General of Spain.' " 
 
 "I never knew before," said Major Ellison, 
 "why that was." 
 
 His friend smiled and went on, "The Cap- 
 tain General of the Royal Company of Archers 
 carries as his badge of office a gold stick which 
 is handed to him by the sovereign; he takes 
 his orders only personally from the sovereign. 
 Queen Anne extended the privileges of the 
 Royal Bodyguard to guarding the sovereign 
 on the throne. In the charter it says that 
 whenever the sovereign comes to Holyrood 
 Palace, the Royal Archers must give a 'red- 
 dendo' of three large silver arrows on a crim- 
 son and gold cushion in exchange for these 
 privileges. So the first official act on each 
 royal visit is the arrival of the Royal Archers, 
 who are received by the King or Queen on the 
 
EDINBURGH 191 
 
 Throne in full state, whereupon the Captain 
 General, advancing, kneels on the steps of the 
 Throne, and 'renders up' the three silver 
 arrows. The sovereign hands them to the 
 Lord High Treasurer or proper custodian and 
 assures the Royal Company that their services 
 are accepted, and all their 'ancient privileges 
 renewed.' " 
 
 "How I should like to see it !" said Jock. 
 
 "Who belong to the Royal Archers?" asked 
 Mrs. Ellison. 
 
 "Well, when King Edward presented a new 
 Royal Standard in 1905, there were in the 
 ranks, like ordinary privates, seven Dukes, 
 three Marquises, about a dozen Earls, several 
 Viscounts, thirty Barons, besides men from the 
 oldest families in the country. The officers 
 are selected by the King himself. Sometimes," 
 he added, turning to Jock, "we entertain the 
 Heir to the Throne, either here or in our own 
 hall. Then, after dinner, three toasts are 
 drunk, in this order: the Captain General 
 stands up with his glass in his hand and says, 
 
192 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 'Gentlemen, the Mark !' It might be supposed 
 that he meant the buU's-eye, but it is only an- 
 other form of drinking to the King over the 
 water." 
 
 "I know," cried Jeanie. "They used to pass 
 their wineglass over the finger-glass to show 
 that the King they meant was the King who 
 had had to flee over the water." 
 
 "Yes, and the custom still survives, though 
 now the King is no longer there. Then we 
 drink to His Majesty the King, and then to 
 His Royal Highness the Duke of Rothe- 
 say." 
 
 "The Duke of Rothesay!" exclaimed Jock, 
 "but why?" 
 
 "Because he is the King's eldest son and 
 Heir to the Throne. He is born Duke of 
 Rothesay and Earl of Carrick, but he is only 
 made Prince of Wales." 
 
 "Earl of Carrick," said Jeanie, her eyes 
 dancing; "then it really was the same. He 
 came to the Games and he spoke to Malcolm." 
 
 "Yes, he was here not long ago." 
 
EDINBURGH 193 
 
 "Oh," said Jeanie, "I never guessed that we 
 should all be so royal." 
 
 "Who is the Captain General and Gold 
 Stick?" asked Mr. Ellison. 
 
 "The Duke of Buccleugh and Queensberry. 
 Now, will you all come to the Hall of Archers ? 
 My motor is outside." 
 
 _ This gentleman made their stay in Edin- 
 burgh delightful. He showed them the work- 
 shop where Fergie was making arrows, each 
 Royal Archer having his own design and col- 
 ors; then he took them up into the great hall, 
 round which hung magnificent portraits of 
 many of the officers. 
 
 He pointed out "the white cockade" which 
 they wore to show they were Jacobites, and 
 showed them the quaint dress of the Archers. 
 Then he told them that the Union Jack, the flag 
 of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and 
 Ireland, is founded on the flag of St. Andrew, 
 the old flag of Scotland. This flag was St. An- 
 drew's cross — ^X — of silver on a dark blue 
 ground. When James VI. of Scotland was 
 
194 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 also King of England, he put the square red 
 cross of St. George of England on the top of 
 this Scottish flag, and so formed the "Union 
 Jack," or the Union Flag of James, which in 
 French is "Jacques." The red cross of St. 
 Patrick for Ireland was added later, and may 
 be seen intermingled with the silver cross of 
 St. Andrew. 
 
 "So now you know," he said, "why the base 
 or main body of the "Union Jack" is dark 
 blue." 
 
 "It seems," said Jock, "as if Scotland had a 
 good deal to do with many things." 
 
 "Yes, far more than I shall have time to 
 show you. Now jump into the motor ; we must 
 hurry on." 
 
 They saw the Supreme Courts, and the Ad- 
 vocates' Library where Sir. Walter Scott and 
 R. L. Stevenson wrote so many of their books ; 
 they looked with awe at the flag which had 
 been wrapped around the body of King James 
 IV. at Flodden; but they were too young to 
 care much for the priceless manuscripts and 
 
EDINBURGH igS 
 
 books which the library contained. It inter- 
 ested them more to hear of the fountains 
 which stood in olden days all down High 
 Street, and which were filled with claret 
 by the Lord Provost and Magistrates for 
 three days at the Restoration of Charles 
 II., so that all might drink to his health. 
 The historian says that High Street was 
 knee-deep in glass, which was broken so 
 as never to be used again for a less honorable 
 thing than to drink the King's health. They 
 went into Moray House, where the Regent 
 of Scotland had lived, who was uncle to Mary, 
 Queen of Scots ; and they noticed the beautiful 
 ceilings with the lion of Scotland, the French 
 fleur de lis, and the thistle. It was the house 
 where in 1707 the Treaty of Union between 
 English and Scottish Parliaments was to be 
 signed, but so great was the uproar of the peo- 
 ple that the signers had to run down the gar- 
 den and sign it in a shed at the end. 
 
 "Long ago," said their friend, "where all 
 these old courts and houses are was open 
 
196 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 ground. Here was where the Canons of Holy- 
 rood lived; this quaint old house was where 
 the stage coaches stopped. This is the Royal 
 Mile from Holyrood to the castle, but it does 
 not look very royal now." 
 
 Yet as they went up it Jeanie saw in her 
 imagination the gay doings of long ago. She 
 pictured Queen Margaret riding forth in state, 
 Queen Mary with her faithful Maries, Bonnie 
 Prince Charlie and his cheering friends. But 
 chiefly she thought of Montrose, her own great 
 chieftain, undaunted by disaster or death. No 
 street is mean which has witnessed scenes like 
 this. 
 
 "We must get out now," said their friend, 
 "and come up into the castle. That was the 
 window out of which Queen Mary's baby, lit- 
 tle James, was lowered. Now you shall see 
 the Regalia of Scotland." 
 
 In a room well guarded they saw the crown 
 and all the splendor of the Regalia. 
 
 "That crown crowned King Robert the 
 Bruce," said their guide, "but many of the jew- 
 
EDINBURGH 197 
 
 els were added by George Heriot, court jew- 
 eler to James V., who founded Heriot's Hos- 
 pital, a splendid school here. Then that jewel 
 of the Most Antient and Most Noble Order 
 of the Thistle was made by Heriot for James 
 VI. to give to his Queen, Anna of Denmark. 
 It was worn by our present Queen Mary not 
 long ago at a Drawing-Room at Holyrood Pal- 
 ace. The sceptre, sword of state and belt were 
 made by famous Italian artists for Pope Julius 
 II. to give to the King of Scotland. The belt 
 was away from the sword for two hundred and 
 forty years. Cromwell had a big army to at- 
 tack Edinburgh to seize the Regalia lest 
 Charles II. should get them." 
 
 "But he didn't get them ?" cried Jeanie. 
 
 "No, when he got near, the Regalia were re- 
 moved to Dunottar Castle, which belonged to 
 the Earl Marshal Keith. When Cromwell got 
 into Edinburgh, he was very angry to find the 
 Regalia gone. Dunottar Castle is built on a 
 peninsula, so Cromwell placed a big army on 
 the peninsula to starve out the people in the 
 
igS THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 castle, while he kept a large fleet near at sea. 
 The parish minister was a certain Mr. Ogil- 
 vie, and after some weeks the officers became 
 lax, and Mrs. Ogilvie was allowed to go in 
 and out to see her friends. Ladies used then 
 to spin as they walked about, and one day Mrs. 
 Ogilvie went into the castle with her distaff, 
 spinning as she went. Later she came out, 
 holding her silk dress high in each hand, as it 
 was muddy. Little did Cromwell's army, 
 through which she passed, think that the crown 
 was held in her dress, flopping about her knees, 
 while she carried under her arm, wrapped in 
 thread and wool, two sceptres and the sword 
 of state. She laughed and talked with the of- 
 ficers as she passed, but once at home she and 
 her husband took up the pews and flooring 
 under the pulpit, and buried the whole Regalia 
 in the church. The garrison held out for a few 
 weeks to ward off suspicion, then they gave in. 
 You can imagine the anger of the army when 
 no Regalia was found. The garrison met the 
 indignant army with the answer, 'What is all 
 
EDINBURGH 199 
 
 this fuss about? There is no Regalia here.' 
 After the Restoration of Charles II., Mr. 
 Ogilvie gave him the Regalia, and there 
 was great rejoicing. The King gave him back 
 the belt of the sword of state, and it stayed in 
 the Ogilvie family till a descendant on the fe- 
 male line, an English clergyman, gave it back 
 to Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria ordered 
 Lord Kingsburgh, as a great officer of state, to 
 see it put back. It was a great occasion. The 
 Royal Antiquarian Society of Scotland were 
 present and they were puzzled by some holes 
 in the sword-belt that had not been done by 
 the Italian workmen. Suddenly one ex- 
 claimed, 'It is proved. Mary, Queen of Scots, 
 had the sword of state girded on to her at her 
 coronation.' You will see even now that the 
 belt lies a little apart from the sword." 
 
 "So it does," said Jock. 
 
 "But that is not the whole history of the 
 Regalia. When the Bonnie Prince (Charles 
 Edward), in 1745 was advancing on Edin- 
 burgh, the Hanoverian officials at the castle 
 
200 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 were so much afraid that he would seize the 
 crown and crown himself King, that they put 
 the Regalia in a huge chest, with two locks 
 and two huge padlocks, the Honours being 
 wrapped in napkins. Then they walled them 
 up in the present crown room, windows, doors 
 and all. After Prince Charlie's final defeat 
 at Culloden they were entirely forgotten." 
 
 "How were they found again?" asked 
 Jeanie. 
 
 "Well, about the year 1820, Sir Walter Scott 
 was searching in the Royal Register House, 
 opposite the General Postoffice, for facts for 
 his fiction, when he found the document of the 
 officials saying what they had done in 1745. 
 He went to London, saw King George IV., and 
 got him to send a Royal Commission to search 
 for the Regalia, and break down the walls. 
 Several times the commission wanted to give 
 up the search, but Sir Walter would go on. 
 Finally he tore down a wall and saw a thick 
 door, bored two holes in it and saw this im- 
 mense iron gate of bars. He cut through this 
 
EDINBURGH 201 
 
 huge padlock/' said the gentleman, pointing 
 to it, "and found this big kist; then he cut 
 through its hasps and padlocks. You can see 
 they were never unlocked — " 
 
 "And then?" burst in Jeanie. 
 
 "There they found the Regalia wrapped in 
 the napkins exactly as it had been since 1745. 
 One spectator fell on his knees and cried with 
 loyal joy. They were all deeply moved, and 
 you can imagine what a sensation the discov- 
 ery made." 
 
 "What is that badge with St. George and the 
 Dragon?" asked Major Ellison. 
 
 "Queen Elizabeth had that made for James 
 VI. when she made him Knight of the Most 
 Noble Order of the Garter, just after she had 
 allowed his mother, Mary, Queen of Scots, to 
 be beheaded. Now we will see St. Margaret's 
 chapel." 
 
 "We know all about that," said Jeanie, "and 
 how St. Margaret had a jeweled 'Gospel Book,' 
 and a diamond cross in a black case. Do they 
 have service there still?" 
 
202 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 "No, it is only a ruin." 
 
 The men and Jock took off their hats, and 
 Mrs. Ellison stood in silence thinking of the 
 prayers said here long ago. Another party 
 had come in, and a child smaller than Jeanie 
 was laughing loudly. 
 
 "Hush," said Jeanie gently, "this is the 
 House of God." 
 
 The child's father looked at her gravely, 
 lifted his hat, and they all went away quietly. 
 
 After they came out of the chapel, their 
 friend told them that that, too, had been lost, 
 and covered with buildings, but Sir Walter 
 Scott knew that it must be there, so he got the 
 Prince-Regent, afterwards George IV., to ap- 
 point a Royal Commission, and after many 
 failures they found the chapel in 1820, made 
 into two stories and used as the powder and 
 shell magazine. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 PAST AND PRESENT 
 
 ONCE more in the motor, they again went 
 down High Street and by Holyrood. 
 • "Look at that mountain," said Jeanie ; "it is 
 just like a Hon." 
 
 "It is called The Lion,' " said her mother, 
 "or 'Arthur's Seat.' " 
 
 They left Edinburgh behind them and went 
 to a little village named Duddington, where a 
 hundred years ago the parish minister was a 
 certain John Thomson, a great painter of 
 landscapes in a style adopted by the English 
 artist, Turner. They went into the Manse 
 Garden, where years ago Sir Walter Scott and 
 the great painters, Raeburn and Watson-Gor- 
 don, met, as well as the Adams, the famous 
 architects, and Mrs. Siddons and the Keanes, 
 the chief actors of the day. 
 
 "You see this little loch,". said their friend. 
 203 
 
204 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 "It was that which gave Scott the idea for his 
 'Lady of the Lake,' and he wrote the poem sit- 
 ting under this tree." 
 
 "It has fallen," said Jock. 
 
 "Yes, but it is left lying here, for anything 
 connected with Sir Walter Scott is of interest. 
 We can hardly say how much Scotland, how 
 much the world, owes to him. You can pic- 
 ture the days when he wrote here, and Thom- 
 son painted — ^pictures that now fetch any 
 price. Now come to the church gate. That 
 iron collar is called a Joug and was put around 
 the neck of a woman who was a 'scold.' She 
 had to stand there on Sundays as the people 
 went to church." 
 
 "I should not think she would do it twice," 
 said Jeanie. 
 
 There was the "loupin' on stane" for mount- 
 ing on horseback close by, but there was no 
 time to linger. The gentleman pointed out 
 Canongate as they went back and showed them 
 much which had belonged to the monks of 
 Holyrood in olden time, the village of Dean, 
 
PAST AND PRESENT 205 
 
 which they saw from Dean Bridge, where there 
 was trout fishing for four and a half miles. 
 
 "The names of a place," he said, "will gen- 
 erally tell its history. Now I will take you 
 down some streets noted for their famous men. 
 Here in Heriot Row, Robert Louis Stevenson 
 was born and wrote his books; he came of the 
 family of great lighthouse engineers. Oppo- 
 site him, across the gardens. Sir James Simp- 
 son lived, who invented chloroform. Back 
 to back with Simpson's house was Sir Walter 
 Scott's house in Castle Street. Close by the 
 Nasquiths were painting, another member of 
 the family was inventing the steam hammer, 
 Raeburn turning out his matchless portraits in 
 scores. David Hume had the first house built 
 in 'Newtown,' and the Town Council in his 
 honor called the street David Street. But a 
 wag came along and put St. before it (Hume 
 was an unbeliever). So the street is now 
 known as St. David Street, a specimen of grim 
 Scottish humor." 
 
 He wanted to take them to far more places 
 
206 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 than time allowed, and Mr, Ellison said that 
 they must leave something for their next visit. 
 
 "We shall never remember everything," said 
 Jeanie, "but Scotland is just the most splendid 
 country in the world." 
 
 One more trip their friend insisted on. He 
 took them to Queensferry, and their car was 
 ferried over the ferry of the great Saint and 
 Queen of nine hundred years ago. They 
 crossed the Forth under the shadow of the 
 vast Forth Bridge, but they realized that it 
 was the same ferry which had never ceased to 
 run since St. Margaret started it for the King 
 and herself to go to watch the progress of the 
 great Abbey which she founded, and to super- 
 intend the enlarging of the Palace. But Jock 
 was thinking more of the present than the past 
 as he gazed up at the bridge under which they 
 passed. 
 
 "It is a mile and a quarter long," said his 
 father. "Look at these granite bases. The 
 largest ocean liners and men-of-war can pass 
 under it." 
 
PAST AND PRESENT 207 
 
 And looking into St. Margaret's Hope (the 
 bay where Princess Margaret's ship was 
 driven when Malcolm rescued her) they saw 
 the vast works going on which are converting 
 it into the largest naval base in the world. 
 Their steamer passed through a great fleet of 
 British "Dreadnoughts" and "Super-Dread- 
 noughts" at anchor under the Forth Bridge. 
 
 "I wonder what King Malcolm and St. Mar- 
 garet would have thought of these," said Jock. 
 
 "I expect," said his mother, "that she would 
 be hardly more surprised at our day than we 
 should be if we could see all that happened in 
 her time." 
 
 Many were the thanks given to the kind 
 friend who had showed them so much; and 
 after he had left them Major Ellison said that 
 there were still a few things he meant to show 
 them himself before they returned to England 
 and resumed their old habits. 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 FAIR MELROSE 
 
 EVERY moment of those last days was 
 filled with adventure. One morning of 
 glorious sunshine they had a motor in which 
 to visit Melrose. Leaving Edinburgh behind 
 them they flew past Swanston, the childhood's 
 home of Robert Louis Stevenson, where he had 
 first heard the cry of mountain and loch calling 
 him out from the multitude to stand with the 
 mighty of every age. They left Abbotsford 
 on their right, where Sir Walter Scott had 
 written the novels and poems which will always 
 be the truest key to the history of Scotland. 
 All round them the mountains rose in glorious 
 ranges, stretching away into distance, their 
 dark blue standing out against a cloudless sky, 
 while on the near moorland the bracken shone 
 as burnished bronze. Sometimes as they 
 
 rushed through woodland a pheasant whirred 
 
 208 
 
FAIR MELROSE 209 
 
 across the road, or black cattle gazed at them 
 from the heights. Or a countryman driving his 
 cows gathered them to the roadside while a girl 
 with a scarlet kerchief tied over her hair herded 
 the frightened beasts. Then they passed 
 Peebles and came upon the river Tweed, which 
 did not leave them again. A few fishermen 
 stood knee-deep in the dark waters, or fished 
 from the banks. The trees, more sheltered 
 here, had not lost their leaves; every shade of 
 gold, lemon and bronze painted the steep bank, 
 while the ground was rich with the fallen leaves 
 of the beech. Who had rustled through the 
 leaves long ago? Did King Malcolm with 
 some of his six sons climb the hill and look 
 down on the river, or would Queen Margaret 
 "riding forth in state" get so far ? No one can 
 tell now, but Jock and Jeanie fancied it all. 
 They saw Prince Charlie hiding in the bracken, 
 then rallying his brave followers; they saw 
 Mary, Queen of Scots, escaping from her ene- 
 mies ; they saw the one king of the Scots who 
 keeps his uncrowned name because he was 
 
210 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 more than a king, Robert the Bruce, "the best 
 who Uved in his day," fighting against over- 
 whelming odds. They saw all the raids on 
 the Border lands and pictured a hundred bat- 
 tles on the hillside. What did it matter if 
 Montrose never trod these hills? His spirit 
 was everywhere; the undying spirit of a true 
 Scot. 
 
 "Look," said Major Ellison, "at those three 
 hills. Some day I will read you Sir Walter 
 Scott's story of Michael Scot, which is con- 
 nected with them." 
 
 And still they flew onward, while the great 
 river caught the sunlight or shadowed into 
 mystery as it had done hundreds of years ago 
 when it divided two nations and seemed the 
 entrance to a world of undying romance. 
 
 "To Melrose," read Jock at last, and they 
 went more slowly through the village street, 
 turning by the Abbey Hotel and facing the 
 magnificent ruin. 
 
 If thou wouldst view fair Melrose aright, 
 Go visit it by the pale moonlight, 
 
FAIR MELROSE 211 
 
 quoted Major Ellison, and Jeanie said, — 
 "I learnt that in 'The Lay of the last Min- 
 strel.' " 
 
 Then they went inside the gates and stood 
 looking up into the tracery of the great east 
 window which heaven to-day had painted so 
 fair a blue. Huge pillars rose in their stately 
 grandeur "like the trees of a forest," Jeanie 
 said. Empty chapels ran along the side, and 
 green grass grew in pity in the choir which 
 had once been so fair for the honour and service 
 of God. But it was where the High Altar had 
 been that Mr. Ellison stopped with a little cry, 
 and the children stood awestruck by "The 
 Grave of the Heart of Bruce." An old world 
 stone traced with the lines of a cross — ^was that 
 all ? No ; a thousand times no. Men can spoil 
 and ruin all that is material, but none can mar 
 what the Heart of Bruce means to a country; 
 for the value of courage and endurance in ex- 
 treme perils does not pass away. 
 
 "Remember," said Mother gently, "that our 
 King is descended from Bruce, and that the 
 
212 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 Prince of Wales bears the title of Earl of Car- 
 rick." 
 
 Then the children turned away to see the 
 graves of Alexander II. and the House of 
 Douglas, but she did not move. 
 
 "It was long ago," said her husband gravely, 
 but she lifted her misty eyes to his. 
 
 "It is all so real," she whispered, "the strug- 
 gles and the tragedy ; poor Scotland !" 
 
 "Brave Scotland," he said, and she smiled 
 as he joined the children, leaving her to dream 
 of the Altar of God rebuilt and the huge Abbey 
 filled with the worshipers of every age since 
 Christianity was first brought to Scotland by 
 Regulus, a soldier. Her dream was broken by 
 the call to luncheon in the hotel outside, where 
 the children were delighted with the stuffed 
 crocodile and other trophies in the house, and 
 where they did full justice to their meal in the 
 dining-room which bore two busts of Sir 
 Walter Scott. They went home by another 
 way, twisting down hill and crossing the Tweed 
 
FAIR MELROSE 213 
 
 by a low bridge, while the railway bridge with 
 its graceful pillars of pink stone rose high 
 above them. Then once more they flew on, 
 through well wooded country and golden 
 leaves. A merry child in a green habit passed 
 them on her pony, chattering to her compan- 
 ion. Could her name have been Di Vernon? 
 The trees were taller this side of the river, the 
 silver trunks of the beeches rose amid the 
 wealth of gold, and a stray pheasant flew 
 across. The shadows were deepening. 
 
 "There is nothing more beautiful than an 
 avenue of beeches," said the Major, then down 
 the avenue came hounds and huntsmen return- 
 ing from the day's sport, the white horses and 
 pink coats standing out against the back- 
 ground. The chauffeur stopped for a moment, 
 then again they flew on, right over Lammer- 
 moor. One day they would read The Bride of 
 Lammermoor, and have associations that they 
 had not to-day. Now the way grew desolate 
 — ^bleak stretches of moor, no sign of man or 
 
214 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 beast. In olden days it would have been a 
 perilous path to travel. 
 
 The hills were growing a deeper hue by the 
 time that they caught sight of Arthur's Seat, 
 then the lights were twinkling over Edinburgh, 
 making it like a fairy city with great palaces 
 against the sky. They passed Holyrood, de- 
 serted and silent, and turned up the High 
 Street. Major Ellison pointed out the balcony 
 on Moray House where Argyll watched Mont- 
 rose being taken to his execution. 
 
 They passed the house where John Knox was 
 born, who played so great a part in the religious 
 history of the country, and at last they crossed 
 Princes Street near the Scott Memorial to go 
 to Uncle Frank's house. 
 
 "Look back," said Major Ellison, "look at 
 the castle in this light, standing above the city 
 while a blue mystery seems to cover the valley 
 below. Edinburgh certainly is the most beau- 
 tiful city in the world." 
 
 "Yes, look back," said their mother. "I 
 think we have been looking back all the time. 
 
FAIR MELROSE 2 15 
 
 at the gallant figures and true hearts that have 
 made Scotland, at the old devotion which 
 reared costly temples to God, back, farther back 
 to the beauty of this world which He made very 
 good, to us Scots never more beautiful than in 
 Scotland." 
 
 "To us Scots," repeated Jock and Jeanie 
 slowly, and their mother smiled as she saw 
 what had taken place since that summer day 
 when they first crossed the Tweed. 
 
 "To us Scots," children may repeat thou- 
 sands of miles away on lonely farms in South 
 Africa, Australia or Canada. "To us Scots," 
 you little Comrades in America may say in your 
 new country with your broad outlook. What 
 does it mean? Is it only that your name be- 
 gins with Mac, or that Donalds and Malcolms 
 and Stuarts are among your ancestors? 
 
 No, it is that all the courage and undaunted 
 faith of the Scots is yours by inheritance, that 
 when one day you come while the purple bloom 
 is on the heather, to visit Scotland, you will 
 stand on your own soil. Little comrades, visit 
 
2l6 THE LAIRD OF GLENTYRE 
 
 it reverently, remembering all that it means to 
 look back. Stand silent for a moment on such 
 spots as Melrose Abbey and St. Margaret's 
 Chapel, thinking of the prayers once said there, 
 and remembering that it is holy ground. 
 Then, as you see sights as fair as any in the 
 world, whether in the city of Edinburgh or by 
 loch and mountain, you will not go alone ; King 
 Malcolm and St. Margaret, Bruce, Queen 
 Mary, Montrose, Prince Charlie, Sir Walter 
 Scott, a hundred figures from every age will 
 go with you; and all that goes to make the 
 wealth of a country, — truth, valor, self-sacri- 
 fice, undying faith, hope and love, — will become 
 yours in the possession of the knowledge that 
 they may have tried and failed, but they never 
 failed to try. 
 
NOTES 
 
NOTES 
 
 This list of the Kings of Scotland may be found 
 useful. 
 
 Grimus 996 
 
 Malcolm II 1004 
 
 Duncan (of Macbeth) 1034 
 
 Macbeth (killed Duncan and seized Throne) . . . 1040 
 Malcolm III., "Canmore," first King of United 
 
 Scotland 1057, 
 
 (Macbeth was Duncan's cousin. Mal- 
 colm 'Canmore was Duncan's son, and mar- 
 ried St. Margaret). 
 Donald (Malcolm's brother) seized the Throne. 1093 
 
 Duncan seized it from him 1094 
 
 Donald took it again 1095 
 
 Edgar (Malcolm's son) 1097 
 
 Alexander 1 1 107 
 
 David I. (St. David) 1124 
 
 (These last three were buried beside 
 their parents King Malcolm and Queen 
 Margaret in Dunfermline Abbey). 
 
 Malcolm the Maiden 1 153 
 
 William the Lion 1165 
 
 219 
 
220 NOTES 
 
 Alexander II 1214 
 
 Alexander III 1249 
 
 Margaret the Maid of Norway 1286 
 
 (Eric, King of Norway, had married 
 Alexander's daughter Margaret, and this 
 Margaret was their daughter. She died 
 leaving the direct line extinct. The chief 
 claimants for the Crown were Robert 
 Bruce, Lord of Annandale, a grandson of 
 William the Lion, and John Baliol, Lord 
 of Galloway, a great grandson of William 
 the Lion's brother, the Earl of Huntingdon. 
 As Baliol promised to make Scotland a 
 sub-kingdom of England, Edward I. of 
 England helped Baliol to be King in 1292). 
 Robert the Bruce overcame him and was crowned 1306 
 
 David II. (his son) 1329 
 
 Robert the Bruce's daughter married 
 Walter (of Royal Blood) the Great Stew- 
 ard of Scotland; their son 
 
 Robert Stuart succeeded to the Throne 1371 
 
 and founded the Stuart dynasty. 
 
 (The eldest son of the King of Scotland 
 is born Duke of Rothesay and Great Stew- 
 ard of Scotland). 
 Robert III 1390 
 
NOTES 221 
 
 (married his distant cousin, a Malcolm of 
 Auchterarder Castle). 
 
 James 1 1406 
 
 James II 1437 
 
 James III 1460 
 
 James IV. (married Margaret daughter of 
 Henry VII. and sister of Henry VIII. of 
 
 England) 1488 
 
 James V 1513 
 
 Mary, Queen of Scots 1542 
 
 Francis (of France) and Mary (reigned to- 
 gether) 1558 
 
 Mary (alone) 1560 
 
 James VI 1567 
 
 Henry VIII's children, Edward VI., 
 Mary and Elizabeth being dead, James 
 VI. as great-grandson of Margaret of 
 England became also 
 James I., England. He was son of Mary, 
 
 Queen of Scots 1603 
 
 Charles 1 1625 
 
 Charles II 1649 
 
 James VII. of Scotland, II. of England 1685 
 
 Mary and William 1689 
 
 (Mary, a daughter of Charles I., mar- 
 ried Prince William of Orange). 
 
222 NOTES 
 
 Anne, daughter of James VII. and II 1702 
 
 George I. (great-grandson on female side of 
 
 James VI. and 1 1714 
 
 George II 1727 
 
 George III 1760 
 
 George IV 1820 
 
 Willijim III. of Scotland and IV. of England. . 1830 
 Victoria, daughter of Edward, the fourth son 
 
 of George III 1837 
 
 Edward I. of Scotland, VII. of England 1901 
 
 George V 1910 
 
 His Majesty King George V. by the 
 grace of God, of the United Kingdom of 
 Great Britain and Ireland, and of the Brit- 
 ish Dominions beyond the Seas, King ; De- 
 fender of the Faith; Emperor of India; 
 Duke of Saxony and Prince of Saxe-Co- 
 burg and Gotha. 
 
 God save the King! 
 
 It will be noticed in Scotland that many words are 
 French, i.e., a dish is an asshet. The fact that Mary 
 Queen of Scots was brought up in France has left its 
 mark on the country to this day, not only on the ' 
 language, but on certain customs, such as the Flats 
 in Edinburgh. 
 
NOTES 223 
 
 AUCHTERARDER 
 
 The charter is lost of this the oldest Royal Burgh. 
 Edinburgh had always been as capital "our Royal and 
 Antient Burgh and City of Edinburgh" without any 
 charter. From Auchterarder Castle the Royal Fam- 
 ily of Great Britain and Ireland came directly, — 
 through Robert the Bruce and his son-in-law, Walter, 
 Great Steward of Scotland, hence the Stewarts or 
 Stuarts — ^because Malcolm (Canmore — Big Head) 
 went from there to reign at Edinburgh as the first 
 King of United Scotland. 
 
 Scotland was once 4 kingdoms 
 
 1. Picts (N. E. and down to near Perth). 
 
 2. Scots (N. W. and down to' near Glasgow, in- 
 cluding most of the smaller isles). 
 
 3. Northumbia (S. E. from Forth to about York 
 with Edinburgh as capital). 
 
 4. Strathclyde (from Glasgow to Westmoreland). 
 There was a piece of country (now counties of 
 
 Fife, Kinross and Clackmannan) in the middle of all, 
 of which Malcolm was Thane (Grand Duke) with his 
 capital at Dunfermline. 
 
 Orkney, Shetland, Skye, the Hebrides and the Isle 
 of Man came to the King of Scotland later (about 
 1250) with his bride, as a dowry from her father, the 
 King of Norway. 
 
224 NOTES 
 
 On leaving Auchterarder Castle to reign at Edin- 
 burgh as the first King of United Scotland, Malcolm 
 Canmore left his "home and hunting seat" to a near 
 relative, a brother or a cousin; and more than 300 
 years later, his descendant, Robert III. (grandson of 
 Robert the Bruce), took his wife from the Malcolms 
 of Auchterarder Castle; so in a double sense King 
 George V. is of Auchterarder. To this day the Mal- 
 colms live there. 
 
 When Edward I. of England started the theory 
 that Scotland should become a vassal kingdom to the 
 English Throne, he tried to carry out his theory by 
 constantly attacking Scotland, from which he was 
 nick-named "the Hammer of the Scots." He was 
 several times at Auchterarder Castle, notably in 1296, 
 when he invaded Scotland with 5000 knights and 
 30,000 footmen. The chronicle of the date says, "On 
 the Thursday he went to the Royal Palace and Castle 
 of Stirling . . . and there tarried the King five days. 
 On Wednesday before the Feast of St. John, the King 
 passed the Scottish Sea (i.e. the Forth) and lay at 
 Auchterarder his castle four days." He calls it "his 
 castle" as it was crown property, to show he had taken 
 it from the Malcolm line as a sign of conquest. 
 
 In 1305 we find Edward I. carrying off the Sheriff 
 of Auchterarder as a hostage for all Scotland, and he 
 
NOTES 225 
 
 was kept fourteen years in the Tower of London. 
 Edward rather liked him, and gave him two horses. 
 Edward I. stayed at Auchterarder when he made the 
 swoop on Scone, sixteen miles farther on, and carried 
 off the Stone of Destiny to Westminster Abbey. 
 
 Edward III. also stayed at Auchterarder Castle. 
 So did Oliver Cromwell, Mary of Guise (mother of 
 Mary, Queen of Scots) and Prince Charles Edward. 
 
 The immediate neighbourhood is full of interest. 
 There is Kincardine Castle, home of the Marquises of 
 Montrose, where kings and queens often stayed, there 
 is CoU-Eam, where the Macdonalds proudly show 
 the earrings which their ancestress. Flora Macdonald, 
 wore at Kingsburgh in Skye, when she sheltered 
 Prince Charles Edward, who was disguised as her 
 maid, Betty Burke; and where too they treasure the 
 possession of David Hume, the historian. 
 
 GLOSSARY 
 Bannock: A cake. 
 Braw: Fine. 
 
 Ben: Ben the house means a welcome to the inner 
 circle or parlor. 
 But: The outer room. 
 Blethering: A term of contempt. 
 Creepie: Stool. 
 
226 NOTES 
 
 Dour: Solemn, hard. 
 Gey: Very. 
 Greeting: Weeping. 
 Happit: Wrapt. 
 Kist: Chest. 
 Speir: To seek, ask. 
 Wean: Little one.