It was a large and cheerful apartment that did both for kitchen and living room.

The sides were made of logs hewn smooth, plastered and whitewashed.

The oak joists and planking above were stained brown.

At one end of the kitchen two doors led to as many rooms, at the other a large stone fireplace, with a great slab for mantelpiece.
On this slab stood bits of china bric-a-brac, and what not, relics abandoned by the gallant and chivalrous Fraser for the bride and her house furnishing.

The prints, too, upon the wall, hunting scenes of the old land, sea-scenes, moorland and wild cattle, with many useful and ornamental bits of furniture, had all been handed over with true Highland generosity by the outgoing owner.
In the fireplace, for the night had a touch of frost in it, a log fire blazed and sparked, lending to the whole scene an altogether delightful air of comfort.
"I say, this does look jolly!" cried the Inspector as he entered.
"Cameron, you lucky dog, do you really imagine you know how jolly well off you are, coddled thus in the lap of comfort and surrounded with all the enervating luxuries of an effete and forgotten civilization?
Come now, own up, you are beginning to take this thing as a matter of course." But Cameron stood with his back to the light, busying himself with his fishing tackle and fish, and ignoring the Inspector's cheerful chatter.
And thus he remained without a word while the Inspector talked on in a voluble flow of small talk quite unusual with him.
Throughout the supper Cameron remained silent, rallying spasmodically with gay banter to the Inspector's chatter, or answering at random, but always falling silent again, and altogether was so unlike himself that Mandy fell to wondering, then became watchful, then anxious.