same as Lord."

The young girl looked at him with undisguised astonishment. A half laugh
twitched the corners of her mouth. "Are you sure?" she said.

"Perfectly," returned the consul, a little impatiently; "but do I
understand that you really know nothing more of the progress of the
claim?"

Miss Kirkby, still abstracted by some humorous astonishment, said
quickly: "Wait a minute. I'll just run up and see if maw's coming down.
She'd admire to see you." Then she stopped, hesitated, and as she rose
added, "Then a laird's wife wouldn't be Lady anything, anyway, would
she?"

"She certainly would acquire no title merely through her marriage."

The young girl laughed again, nodded, and disappeared. The consul,
amused yet somewhat perplexed over the naive brusqueness of the
interview, waited patiently. Presently she returned, a little out of
breath, but apparently still enjoying some facetious retrospect, and
said, "Maw will be down soon." After a pause, fixing her bright eyes
mischievously on the consul, she continued:--

"Did you see much of Malcolm?"

"I saw him only once."

"What did you think of him?"