His master was still pacing up and down the courtyard, deep in
meditation. Sholto saluted the young Earl and asked permission to
speak a word with him.

"Speak on, Sholto--well do you know that at all times you may say what
you will to me."

"But this I desire to keep from prying eyes. My lord, there is a
letter in my wallet which was given me even now by a gaberlunzie man.
He declares that it concerns your life. I pray you take out my hone
stone as if to look at it, and with it the letter."

The Earl nodded, as if Sholto had been making a report to him. Then he
went nearer and began to finger his squire's accoutrements, finally
opening his belt pouch and taking out the stone that was therein.

"Where gat you this hone!" he said, holding it to the light; "it looks
not the right blue for a Water-of-Ayr stone."

Sholto answered that it came from the Parton Hills, and, as the Earl
replaced it, he possessed himself of the square letter and thrust it
into the bosom of his doublet.

As soon as William Douglas was alone, he broke the seal and tore open
the parchment. It was written in a delicate foreign script, the
characters fine and small:

"My lord, do not, I beseech you, come to Edinburgh or think
of me more. Last night my Lord of Retz spied upon us and