34 HAPPY HUNTING-GROUNDS 



"of course they must have trespassed in the absence and 

 without knowledge of their master, as no gentleman 

 could possibly ever have acted in such a manner." The 

 owner had the grace to admit his offence, and to offer a 

 handsome apology, attributing his fault to ignorance 

 of Sir John's wishes, and promising not only never to 

 repeat it, but also as far as possible to prevent others 

 from following his bad example. Probably the casti- 

 gation inflicted by the letter, which was duly posted 

 over the mantelpiece of the smoking-room of the club, 

 was sufficient to deter any but the most brazen culprits 

 from a repetition of the outrage. But the seals of 

 Colonsay are a sufficiently distinctive feature of the 

 island to demand a chapter to themselves. 



The situation of Killoran House, like that of most 

 residences of the period, was selected rather for shelter 

 than for view. The original structure was like a large 

 Scotch farm-house a square two-storied building, to 

 which two wings were added, one on each side ; one 

 containing a suite of bedrooms and servants' offices, 

 and a comfortable smoking- and gun-room ; the other 

 a billiard-room and library, a corridor, a dining-room, 

 and a drawing-room opening into a conservatory. The 

 dining-room contained some excellent busts and por- 

 traits of the M'Neill family : the judge, the diplo- 

 matist of Persian celebrity, and last not least a 

 portrait of Sir John himself by the hand of her Royal 

 Highness Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll. 



The old-fashioned garden, which is of an earlier 

 date than the house, which occupies the site of a 

 Priory, is indeed a delightful spot. In front of the 

 windows sweet-scented verbenas grow to a height of 

 ten to twelve feet, and a hedge of hydrangeas blossoms 



