him. After the ordinary greetings of the day, and an accurate account of
the baronet's interview with him, the stranger introduced the topic in
which he felt so deep an interest.

"I am unfortunate, Mr. Birney," said he; "Fenton, notwithstanding his
eccentricity, insanity, or whatever it may be termed, seems to suspect
my design, and evades, with singular address, every attempt, on my part,
to get anything out of him. Is he absolutely deranged, think you? For,
I assure you, I have just now had a scene with him, in which his conduct
and language could proceed from nothing short of actual insanity. A
little affected with liquor he unquestionably was, when he came in
first. The appearance, however, of Sir Thomas not only reduced him to
a state of sobriety, but seemed to strike him with a degree of terror
altogether inexplicable."

"How was that," asked Birney.

The stranger accordingly described the scene between himself and Fenton,
with which the reader is acquainted.

"He is not a madman, certainly, in the ordinary sense of the word,"
replied Birney, after a pause; "but, I think, he may be called a kind of
lunatic, certainly. My own opinion is, that, whatever insanity he may be
occasionally afflicted with results more from an excessive indulgence in
liquor than from any other cause. Be that, however, as it may, there
is no question but that he is occasionally seized with fits of mental
aberration. From what you tell me, and his exaggerated suspicions of a
plot between you and Sir Thomas Gourlay, I think it most probable that
he is your man still."