ed
farewell and waved their pocket-napkins as I rode away. One out of the
four I knew was truly sorry; and at the thought of that, and how I had
come to the door three months ago for the first time, sorrow and
gratitude made a confusion in my mind.

FOOTNOTES:

[19] Ragged.

[20] Fine things.

[21] Catch.

[22] Victuals.

[23] Trust.

PART II

FATHER AND DAUGHTER

CHAPTER XXI

THE VOYAGE INTO HOLLAND

The ship lay at a single anchor, well outside the pier of Leith, so that
all we passengers must come to it by the means of skiffs. This was very
little troublesome, for the reason that the day was a flat calm, very
frosty and cloudy, and with a low shifting fog upon the water. The body
of the vessel was thus quite hid as I drew near, but the tall spars of
her stood high and bright in a sunshine like the flickering of a fire.
She proved to be a very roomy, commodious merchant, but somewhat blunt
in the bows, and loaden extraordinary deep with salt, salted salmon, and
fine white linen stockings for the Dutch. Upon my coming on board, the
captain welcomed me--one Sang (out of Lesmahago, I believe), a very
hearty, friendly tarpaulin of a man, but at the moment in rather of a
bustle. There had no other of the passengers yet appeared, so that I was
left to walk about upon the deck, viewing the prospect and wondering a
good deal what these farewells should be which I was promised.

All Edinburgh and the Pentland Hills glinted above me in a kind of
smuisty brightness, now and again overcome with blots of cloud; of Leith
there was no more than the tops of chimneys visible, and on the face of
the water, where the haar[24] lay, nothing at all. Out of this I was
presently aware of a sound of oars pulling, and a little after (as if
out of the smoke of a fire) a boat issued. There sat a grave man in the
stern-sheets, well muffled from the cold, and by his side a tall,
pretty, tender figure of a maid that brought my heart to a stand. I had
scarce the time to catch my breath in, and be ready to meet her, as she
stepped upon the deck, smiling, and making my best bow, which was now
vastly finer than some months before, when first I made it to her
ladyship. No doubt we were both a good deal changed: she seemed to have
shot up taller, like a young, comely tree. She had now a kind of pretty
backwardness that became her well, as of one that regarded herself more
highly, and was fairly woman; and for a