THE MONNIELACK SHOOTINGS i6i 



thing, so I have made up my mind to come again next year. 

 Won't you come too ? " 



To this Auldjoe answered, " Yes, that I will with pleasure ; 

 but let us each offer the Colonel a hundred pounds a year more 

 on the understanding that the party shall remain as it is." 



"A very good idea, in which I'm quite with you," an- 

 swered I. 



Now, since our numbers had been reduced to three, we had 

 taken it in turns to shoot with the Colonel, and for nearly three 

 weeks all had gone right merrily ; then one day our host an- 

 nounced that he would be obliged to go to Edinburgh for a 

 couple of days on some law business ; therefore Auldjoe and I 

 were left together, and on coming home from shooting on the 

 evening of the second day, the butler met us at the lodge gates, 

 while with concern and grief written on his face he handed me 

 a letter which I saw was in the Colonel's writing. The contents 

 were as follows : — 



" My dear Gae Green, — Forgive me for my desertion, but 

 pray stay on with Auldjoe and shoot away till you think the 

 stock of game is sufficiently reduced. For myself, / am in a 

 mess! Both of you, I am sure, will think me little short of 

 a lunatic when I tell you that Bessie^my pretty Bessie ! — 

 Macdonal's daughter, has so captivated my affections that life 

 without her is no longer worth having. My feelings are re- 

 ciprocated, and we are seeking happiness together in foreign 

 climes. Although our friendship has not been of very long- 

 standing, I feel that I may call on you to break the matter to 

 Mrs. Lovewell. Kindly also explain all this to Auldjoe, and 

 ask him to accept my apologies. I had most fully intended to 

 have stayed out the time with you, but Donal began to be 

 suspicious, and his arrangements for sending Bessie away have 

 precipitated events." 



This letter I read to my friend in the smoking-room, and 

 though he gave signs of suppressed excitement by various 

 violent jerks of his nose, he uttered no word till I came to 



Y 



