"Well" I began, but found myself unable to go further.

"You tell me she is here?" said he again, but now with a spice of
impatiency that seemed to brace me up.

"She is in this house," said I, "and I knew the circumstance would be
called unusual. But you are to consider how very unusual the whole
business was from the beginning. Here is a young lady landed on the
coast of Europe with two shillings and a penny halfpenny. She is
directed to yon man Sprott in Helvoet. I hear you call him your agent.
All I can say is he could do nothing but damn and swear at the mere
mention of your name, and I must fee him out of my own pocket even to
receive the custody of her effects, You speak of unusual circumstances,
Mr. Drummond, if that be the name you prefer. Here was a circumstance,
if you like, to which it was barbarity to have exposed her."

"But this is what I cannot understand the least," said James. "My
daughter was placed into the charge of some responsible persons, whose
names I have forgot."

"Gebbie was the name," said I; "and there is no doubt that Mr. Gebbie
should have gone ashore with her at Helvoet. But he did not, Mr.
Drummond; and I think you might praise God that I was there to offer in
his place."

"I shall have a word to say to Mr. Gebbie before done," said he. "As for
yourself, I think it might have occurred that you were somewhat young
for such a post."

"But the choice was not between me and somebody else, it was between me
and nobody," I cried. "Nobody offered in my place, and I must say I
think you show a very small degree of gratitude to me that did."

"I shall wait until I understand my obligation a little more in the
particular," says he.

"Indeed, and I think it stares you in the face, then," said I. "Your
child was deserted, she was clean flung away in the midst of Europe,
with scarce two shillings, and not two words of any language spoken
there: I must say, a bonny business! I brought her to this place. I gave
her the name and the tenderness due to a sister. All this has not gone
without expense, but that I scarce need to hint at. They were services
due to the young lady's character which I respect; and I think it would
be a bonny business too, if I was to be singing her praises to her
father."

"You are a young man," he began.

"So I hear you tell me," said I, with a good deal of heat.

"You are a very young man," he repeated, "or you would have understood
the significancy of the step.