CAMPBELL. (Startled—­betrays agitation—­the snuff is spilled from his trembling hand.) Hoot toot, woman! ye’re, ye’re—­(Angrily) Ye auld beldame, to say such things to me!  I’ll have ye first whippet and syne droont for a witch.  Damn thae stubborn and supersteetious cattle! (To SANDEMAN) We should have come in here before him and listened in the barn, Sandeman!

SANDEMAN.  Ah, listen behind the door you mean!  Now I never thought of that!

CAMPBELL.  Did ye not!  Humph!  Well, no doubt there are a good many things in the universe that yet wait for your thought upon them.  What would be your objections, now?

SANDEMAN.  There are two objections, Kilmhor, that you would understand.

CAMPBELL.  Name them.

SANDEMAN.  Well, in the first place, we have not wings like crows to fly—­and the footsteps on the snow—­Second point—­the woman would have told him we were there.

CAMPBELL.  Not if I told her I had power to clap her in Inverness jail.

MARY STEWART (in contempt).  Yes, even if ye had told me ye had power to clap me in hell, Mr. Campbell.

CAMPBELL.  Lift me that screeching Jezebel oot o’ here; Sandeman, we’ll mak’ a quick finish o’ this. (Soldiers take her towards barn.) No, not there; pitch the old girzie into the snow.

MARY STEWART.  Ye’ll never find him, Campbell, never, never!

CAMPBELL (enraged).  Find him!  Aye, by God I’ll find him, if I have to keek under every stone on the mountains from the Boar of Badenoch to the Sow of Athole. (Old woman and soldiers go outside.) And now, Captain Sandeman, you an’ me must have a word or two.  I noted your objection to listening ahint doors and so on.  Now, I make a’ necessary allowances for youth and the grand and magneeficent ideas commonly held, for a little while, in that period.  I had them myself.  But, man, gin ye had trod the floor of the Parliament Hoose in Edinburry as long as I did, wi’ a pair o’ thin hands at the bottom o’ toom pockets, ye’d ha’e shed your fine notions, as I did.  Noo, fine pernickety noansense will no’ do in this business—­

SANDEMAN.  Sir!

CAMPBELL.  Softly, softly, Captain Sandeman, and hear till what I have to say.  I have noticed with regret several things in your remarks and bearing which are displeasing to me.  I would say just one word in your ear; it is this.  These things, Sandeman, are not conducive to advancement in His Majesty’s service.

SANDEMAN.  Kilmhor, I am a soldier, and if I speak out my mind, you must pardon me if my words are blunt.  I do not like this work, but I loathe your methods.

CAMPBELL.  Mislike the methods you may, but the work ye must do!  Methods are my business.  Let me tell you the true position.  In ae word it is no more and no less than this.  You and me are baith here to carry out the proveesions of the Act for the Pacification of the Highlands.  That means the cleaning up of a very big mess, Sandeman, a very big mess.  Now, what is your special office in this work?  I’ll tell ye, man; you and your men are just beesoms in the hands of the law-officers of the Crown.  In this district, I order and ye soop! (He indicates door of barn.) Now soop, Captain Sandeman.