she would have told us. Sailing scoots
and rattel-waggons are excellent things; only the use of them must first
be paid for, and all she was possessed of in the world was just two
shillings and a penny-halfpenny sterling. So it fell out that captain
and passengers, not knowing of her destitution--and she being too proud
to tell them--spoke in vain.

"But you ken nae French and nae Dutch neither," said one.

"It is very true," says she, "but since the year 'Forty-six there are so
many, of the honest Scots abroad that I will be doing very well, I thank
you."

There was a pretty country simplicity in this that made some laugh,
others looked the more sorry, and Mr. Gebbie fell outright in a passion.
I believe he knew it was his duty (his wife having accepted charge of the
girl) to have gone ashore with her and seen her safe: nothing would have
induced him to have done so, since it must have involved the loss of
his conveyance; and I think he made it up to his conscience by the
loudness of his voice. At least he broke out upon Captain Sang, raging
and saying the thing was a disgrace; that it was mere death to try to
leave the ship, and at any event we could not cast down an innocent maid
in a boatful of nasty Holland fishers, and leave her to her fate. I was
thinking something of the same; took the mate upon one side, arranged
with him to send on my chests by track-scoot to an address I had in
Leyden, and stood up and signalled to the fishers.

"I will go ashore with the young lady, Captain Sang," said I. "It is all
one what way I go to Leyden"; and leaped at the same time into the boat,
which I managed not so elegantly but what I fell with two of the fishers
in the bilge.

From the boat the business appeared yet more precarious than from the
ship, she stood so high over us, swung down so swift, and menaced us so
perpetually with her plunging and passaging upon the anchor cable. I
began to think I had made a fool's bargain, that it was merely
impossible Catriona should be got on board to me, and that I stood to be
set ashore at Helvoet all by myself and with no hope of any reward but
the pleasure of embracing James More, if I should want to. But this was
to reckon without the lass's courage. She had seen me leap with very
little appearance (however much reality) of hesitation; to be sure, she
was not to be beat by her discarded friend. Up she stood on the bulwarks
and held by a stay, the wind blowing in her petticoats,