I want to show it to Edie."

"The best you can do is to forget all about Edie," said I.

Never have I seen a man's face change as his did when I said those
words.

"What! What d'ye mean, Jock Calder?" he stammered.

He let go his hold of the precious diploma as he spoke, and away it went
over the hedge and across the moor, where it stuck flapping on a
whin-bush; but he never so much as glanced at it. His eyes were bent
upon me, and I saw the devil's spark glimmer up in the depths of them.

"She is not worthy of you," said I.

He gripped me by the shoulder.

"What have you done?" he whispered. "This is some of your
hanky-panky! Where is she?"

"She's off with that Frenchman who lodged here."

I had been casting about in my mind how I could break it gently to him;
but I was always backward in speech, and I could think of nothing better
than this.

"Oh!" said he, and stood nodding his head and looking at me, though I
knew very well that he could neither see me, nor the steading, nor
anything else. So he stood for a minute or more, with his hands