“A hansom, papa?” said Sheila.  “Mairi must go with us, you know.”

This was precisely what he had angled for, and he said, with a show of impatience, “Mairi!  How can we take about Mairi to every place?  Mairi is a ferry good lass—­oh yes—­but she is a servant-lass.”

The words nearly stuck in his throat; and indeed had any other addressed such a phrase to one of his kith and kin there would have been an explosion of rage; but now he was determined to show to Sheila that her husband had some cause for objecting to this girl sitting down with his friends.

But neither husband nor father could make Sheila forswear allegiance to what her own heart told her was just and honorable and generous; and indeed her father at this moment was not displeased to see her turn round on himself with just a touch of indignation in her voice.  “Mairi is my guest, papa,” she said.  “It is not like you to think of leaving her at home.”

“Oh. it wass of no consequence,” said old Mackenzie carelessly:  indeed he was not sorry to have met with this rebuff.  “Mairi is a ferry good girl—­oh yes—­but there are many who would not forget she is a servant-lass, and would not like to be always taking her with them.  And you hef lived a long time in London—­”

“I have not lived long enough in London to make me forget my friends or insult them,” Sheila said with proud lips, and yet turning to the window to hide her face.

“My lass, I did not mean any harm whatever,” her father said gently:  “I wass saying nothing against Mairi.  Go away and bring her into the room, Sheila, and we will see what we can do now, and if there is a theatre we can go to this evening.  And I must go out, too, to buy some things; for you are a ferry fine lady now, Sheila, and I was coming away in such a hurry—­”

“Where is your luggage, papa?” she said suddenly.

“Oh, luggage!” said Mackenzie, looking round in great embarrassment.  “It was luggage you said, Sheila?  Ay, well, it wass a hurry I wass in when I came away—­for this man he will have to pay me at once whatever—­and there wass no time for any luggage—­oh no, there wass no time, because Duncan he wass late with the boat, and the mare she had a shoe to put on—­and—­and—­oh no, there was no time for any luggage.”

“But what was Scarlett about, to let you come away like that?” Sheila said.

“Scarlett?  Well, Scarlett did not know, it was all in such a hurry.  Now go and bring in Mairi, Sheila, and we will speak about the theatre.”

But there was to be no theatre for any of them that evening.  Sheila was just about to leave the room to summon Mairi when the small girl who had let Mackenzie into the house appeared and said, “Please, m’m, there is a young woman below who wishes to see you.  She has a message to you from Mrs. Paterson.”

“Mrs. Paterson?” Sheila said, wondering how Mrs. Lavender’s hench-woman should have been entrusted with any such commission.  “Will you ask her to come up?”