 minister was coming back wi' a braw English gentleman and a'
the siller that was to pay for the estate of Craigsture.«
    This sudden resolution of going to Knocktarlitie had been adopted by Sir
George Staunton in consequence of the incidents of the evening. In spite of his
present consequence, he felt he had presumed too far in venturing so near the
scene of his former audacious acts of violence, and he knew too well, from past
experience, the acuteness of a man like Ratcliffe, again to encounter him. The
next two days he kept his lodgings, under pretence of indisposition, and took
leave by writing of his noble friend the High Commissioner, alleging the
opportunity of Mr. Butler's company as a reason for leaving Edinburgh sooner
than he had proposed. He had a long conference with his agent on the subject of
Annaple Bailzou; and the professional gentleman, who was the agent also of the
Argyle family, had directions to collect all the information which Ratcliffe or
others might be able to obtain concerning the fate of that woman and the
unfortunate child, and so soon as anything transpired which had the least
appearance of being important, that he should send an express with it instantly
to Knocktarlitie. These instructions were backed with a deposit of money, and a
request that no expense might be spared; so that Sir George Staunton had little
reason to apprehend negligence on the part of the persons intrusted with the
commission.
    The journey, which the brothers made in company, was attended with more
pleasure, even to Sir George Staunton, than he had ventured to expect. His heart
lightened in spite of himself when they lost sight of Edinburgh; and the easy,
sensible conversation of Butler was well calculated to withdraw his thoughts
from painful reflections. He even began to think whether there could be much
difficulty in removing his wife's connections to the rectory of Willingham; it
was only on his part procuring some still better preferment for the present
incumbent, and on Butler's, that he should take orders according to the English
Church, to which he could not conceive a possibility of his making objection,
and then he had them residing under his wing. No doubt there was pain in seeing
Mrs. Butler, acquainted, as he knew her to be, with the full truth of his evil
history; but then her silence, though he had no reason to complain of her
indiscretion hitherto, was still more absolutely ensured. It would keep his
lady, also, both in good temper and in more subjection; for she was sometimes
troublesome to him by insisting on remaining in town when
