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Updated: June 28, 2025
Under the grey autumnal sky Miss Cicely Farmond drove out of the town wrapped in Ned Cromarty's overcoat. He assured her he never felt cold, and as she glanced a little shyly up at the strapping figure by her side, she said to herself that he certainly was the toughest looking man of her acquaintance, and she felt a little less contrition for the loan.
"But it's a good thing, anyway, Miss Farmond, that the laird of Stanesland is no likely to get married." "Isn't he?" she asked, again with that encouraging note. Bisset replied with another question, asked in an ominous voice: "Have ye seen yon castle o' his, miss?" Cicely nodded. "I called there once with Lady Cromarty."
She murmured something that he could not catch and then they fell altogether silent till they had retraced their road to the station and turned down towards a twinkling light or two which showed where the village lay. "Now, Miss Farmond," said he, "we are getting near this pub and as we've both got to spend the night there, you'll please observe these few short and simple rules.
Why need the man have been a stranger at all?" Bisset's face fell. "But surely you're not believing yon story that it was Sir Malcolm and Miss Farmond after a'?" His visitor stood absolutely silent for a full minute. Then he seemed suddenly to banish the line of thought he was following. "Is it quite certain that those two are engaged?" he asked. Bisset's face showed his surprise at the question.
The fact is, Miss Farmond, you are a bit of a treat." The quaintness of the phrase was irresistible and she laughed outright. "Am I?" "It's a fact," said he, "you see I live an odd lonely kind of life here, and for most of my career I've lived an odd lonely kind of life too, so far as girls were concerned.
Ned shook his head, tried to suck life into his neglected cigar, and gave up the problem in the meanwhile. As to the question of what business he had to be following Miss Farmond like this, he troubled his head about it not at all. If she needed him, here he was. If she didn't, he would clear out. But very strong and very urgent was the conviction that she required a friend of some sort.
When I first came down here it seemed to me a very likely theory and I was prepared to find a guilty couple, but when I met Miss Farmond and told her suddenly that Sir Malcolm was arrested, and she gazed blankly at me and asked 'What for? well, I simply ran my pencil, so to speak, through her name and there was an end of her! The same with Sir Malcolm when I met him.
With that the current of his thoughts seemed to change, and when Bisset returned he asked, though with marked hesitation: "Do you think, Bisset, I could do anything for any of them, Mr. Malcolm Cromarty, or er Miss Farmond?" Bisset considered the point judicially. It was clear he felt that the management of the household was in his hands now.
At the sight of Cicely his smile revealed the warmth of his feelings in that direction. "Ah, my dear girl," said he, "we've been looking for you. Where have you been?" "I've been having a walk." She smiled at him as she answered, and on his side it was easy to see that the good gentleman was enraptured, and that Miss Farmond was not likely to be severely cross-examined as to her movements.
"I am sure Miss Farmond would be pleased, sir poor young lady!" "Do you really think so?" said Ned, and his manner brightened visibly. "Well, if she won't mind " "I think if you come this way, sir, you will find her with Sir Malcolm." "Sir Malcolm!" exclaimed Ned. "My God, so he is!" To himself he added: "And she will soon be Lady Cromarty!" But the thought did not seem to exhilarate him.
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