Charles was less complimentary.  “You fool,” he answered, with that unpleasant frankness which is much too common with him.  “Supposing it is, why on earth should you try to knock it off and disclose him?  What good would it have done?  If it is a wig, and we spot it, that’s all that we need.  We are put on our guard; we know with whom we have now to deal.  But you can’t take a man up on a charge of wig-wearing.  The law doesn’t interfere with it.  Most respectable men may sometimes wear wigs.  Why, I knew a promoter who did, and also the director of fourteen companies!  What we have to do next is, wait till he tries to cheat us, and then—­pounce down upon him.  Sooner or later, you may be sure, his plans will reveal themselves.”

So we concocted an excellent scheme to keep them under constant observation, lest they should slip away again, as they did from the island.  First of all, Amelia was to ask them to come and stop at the castle, on the ground that the rooms at the inn were uncomfortably small.  We felt sure, however, that, as on a previous occasion, they would refuse the invitation, in order to be able to slink off unperceived, in case they should find themselves apparently suspected.  Should they decline, it was arranged that Césarine should take a room at the Cromarty Arms as long as they stopped there, and report upon their movements; while, during the day, we would have the house watched by the head gillie’s son, a most intelligent young man, who could be trusted, with true Scotch canniness, to say nothing to anybody.

To our immense surprise, Mrs. Forbes-Gaskell accepted the invitation with the utmost alacrity.  She was profuse in her thanks, indeed; for she told us the Arms was an ill-kept house, and the cookery by no means agreed with her husband’s liver.  It was sweet of us to invite them; such kindness to perfect strangers was quite unexpected.  She should always say that nowhere on earth had she met with so cordial or friendly a reception as at Seldon Castle.  But—­she accepted, unreservedly.

“It can’t be Colonel Clay,” I remarked to Charles.  “He would never have come here.  Even as David Granton, with far more reason for coming, he wouldn’t put himself in our power:  he preferred the security and freedom of the Cromarty Arms.”

“Sey,” my brother-in-law said sententiously, “you’re incorrigible.  You will persist in being the slave of prepossessions.  He may have some good reason of his own for accepting.  Wait till he shows his hand—­and then, we shall understand everything.”

So for the next three weeks the Forbes-Gaskells formed part of the house-party at Seldon.  I must say, Charles paid them most assiduous attention.  He positively neglected his other guests in order to keep close to the two new-comers.  Mrs. Forbes-Gaskell noticed the fact, and commented on it.  “You are really too good to us, Sir Charles,” she said.  “I’m afraid you allow us quite to monopolise you!”