“So I did. But I didn’t go to the cave. I just sat around and dreamed for awhile and then came back here.”

However, at dinner that night Ben Nevis gave the show away by revealing that one of his keepers had suspected Carrie of being a hiker.

Alone among the audience Toker preserved an expression of restrained disgust. The remainder of the party found the matter comic and laughed uproariously, particularly the victim’s husband.

“Say, that’s a peach, Ben Nevis,” he declared. “I’ll bet you were mad, Carrie, weren’t you?”

“Oh, I didn’t mind at all,” she replied. “I realized he was only doing what he thought was his duty. In fact his greatest anxiety was to have Ben Nevis know what he had done.”

“Hark at that now,” the Chieftain woofed with gusto. “Well, they may laugh at us up here for our old-fashioned notions of loyalty, discipline and obedience, but when one finds it I must say it warms the cockles of the heart. Don’t you agree with me, Hugh? I say it warms the cockles of the heart.”

“Oh, very much so,” Kilwhillie agreed. The cockles of his own heart were in a responsive condition to warmth that evening because Chester Royde had enjoyed his day with the Knocknacolly grouse so much that he had insisted on adding £500 to the purchase price and this meant the late owner would be able to buy a new car which ought to last him for another seven years. He was dreaming now of Royde’s first stalk on Monday and of his killing a stag with such a forest of antlers that he would insist on adding yet another £500.

The next morning at service in the Castle Chapel Mr Fletcher preached on the text ‘Be thou faithful unto death,’ while the Chieftain cleared his throat from time to time in a manner as near to ejaculating ‘hear, hear’ as left no doubt of his approval.

“Capital preacher, isn’t he?” he said to his guests. “And what I like particularly about his sermons is that he never gives one unless I ask him to. Can’t stand this idea some clergymen have that a sermon is always welcome.”

Carrie and Myrtle had planned to go for a walk together that Sunday afternoon and visit the cave, for they had both quickly realized that neither was going to be able to shake off the other. When the time came for them to start, however, they were discouraged to find that Murdoch and Iain were proposing to accompany them.

“We heard you wanted to see that cave on Ben Cruet,” said Iain. “So as there’s nothing for us to do, being Sunday afternoon, Murdoch and I thought you’d like us to show you just where it is.”