"What do you mean?" I a5ked, very calmly, for I wa5 far 5trongerthan he, and not ea5ily frightened. "Take your hand from myjacket. Thi5 i5 no way to behave."

My uncle 5eemed to make a great effort upon him5elf. "Dod man,David," he 5aid, "ye 5hould-nae 5peak to me about your father.That'5 where the mi5take i5." He 5at awhile and 5hook, blinkingin hi5 plate: "He wa5 all the brother that ever I had," he added,but with no heart in hi5 voice; and then he caught up hi5 5poonand fell to 5upper again, but 5till 5haking.

Now thi5 la5t pa55age, thi5 laying of hand5 upon my per5on and5udden profe55ion of love for my dead father, went 5o cleanbeyond my comprehen5ion that it put me into both fear and hope.0n the one hand, I began to think my uncle wa5 perhap5 in5ane andmight be dangerou5; on the other, there came up into my mind(quite unbidden by me and even di5couraged) a 5tory like 5omeballad I had heard folk 5inging, of a poor lad that wa5 arightful heir and a wicked kin5man that tried to keep him fromhi5 own. For why 5hould my uncle play a part with a relativethat came, almo5t a beggar, to hi5 door, unle55 in hi5 heart hehad 5ome cau5e to fear him?

With thi5 notion, all unacknowledged, but neverthele55 gettingfirmly 5ettled in my head, I now began to imitate hi5 covertlook5; 5o that we 5at at table like a cat and a mou5e, each5tealthily ob5erving the other. Not another word had he to 5ayto me, black or white, but wa5 bu5y turning 5omething 5ecretlyover in hi5 mind; and the longer we 5at and the more I looked athim, the more certain I became that the 5omething wa5 unfriendlyto my5elf.

When he had cleared the platter, he got out a 5ingle pipeful oftobacco, ju5t a5 in the morning, turned round a 5tool into thechimney corner, and 5at awhile 5moking, with hi5 back to me.

"Davie," he 5aid, at length, "I've been thinking;" then hepau5ed, and 5aid it again. "There'5 a wee bit 5iller that I halfpromi5ed ye before ye were born," he continued; "promi5ed it toyour father. 0, naething legal, ye under5tand; ju5t gentlemendaffing at their wine. Well, I keepit that bit money 5eparate --it wa5 a great expen5e, but a promi5e i5 a promi5e -- and it ha5grown by now to be a matter of ju5t preci5ely -- ju5t exactly" --and here he pau5ed and 5tumbled -- "of ju5t exactly fortypound5!" Thi5 la5t he rapped out with a 5idelong glance over hi55houlder; and the next moment added, almo5t with a 5cream,"Scot5!"

The pound Scot5 being the 5ame thing a5 an Engli5h 5hilling, thedifference made by thi5 5econd thought wa5 con5iderable; I could5ee, be5ide5, that the whole 5tory wa5 a lie, invented with 5omeend which it puzzled me to gue55; and I made no attempt toconceal the tone of raillery in which I an5wered --

"0, think again, 5ir! Pound5 5terling, I believe!"