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that afternoon Carstares left Thurze House on one of his friend’s horses. He waved a very regretful farewell to O’Hara and his lady, promising to let them know his whereabouts and to visit them again soon. O’Hara had extracted a solemn promise that if ever he got into difficulties he would let him know:

“For I’m not letting ye drift gaily out of me life again, and that’s flat.”

Jack had assented gladly enough—to have a friend once more was such bliss—and had given Miles the name of the inn and the village where he would find him, for O’Hara had insisted on bringing the mare over himself. So Carstares rode off to Trencham and to Jim, with the memory of a very hearty handshake in his mind. He smiled a little as he thought of his friend’s words when he had shown himself reluctant to give the required promise:

“Ye obstinate young devil, ye’ll do as I say, and no nonsense, or ye don’t leave this house!”

For six years no one had ordered him to obey; it had been he who had done all the ordering. Somehow it was very pleasant to be told what to do, especially by Miles.

He turned down a lane and wondered what Jim was thinking. That he was waiting at the Green Man, he was certain, for those had been his orders. He was annoyed with the man over the incident of the pistols, for he had inspected them and discovered that they were indeed unloaded. Had his captor been other