l-health and
retirement during childhood. In the midst of which I awoke to a sense of
my behaviour, and was turned to one blush.

The old gentleman was not so much deceived but what he discovered a
willingness to be quit of me. But he was first of all a man of business;
and knowing that my money was good enough, however it might be with my
conduct, he was so far obliging as to send his son to be my guide and
caution in the matter of a lodging. This implied my presenting of the
young man to Catriona. The poor, pretty child was much recovered with
resting, looked and behaved to perfection, and took my arm and gave me
the name of brother more easily than I could answer her. But there was
one misfortune: thinking to help, she was rather towardly than otherwise
to my Dutchman. And I could not but reflect that Miss Balfour had rather
suddenly outgrown her bashfulness. And there was another thing, the
difference of our speech. I had the Low Country tongue and dwelled upon
my words; she had a hill voice, spoke with something of an English
accent, only far more delightful, and was scarce quite fit to be called
a deacon in the craft of talking English grammar; so that, for a brother
and sister, we made a most uneven pair. But the young Hollander was a
heavy dog, without so much spirit in his belly as to remark her
prettiness, for which I scorned him. And as soon as he had found a cover
to our heads, he left us alone, which was the greater service of the
two.

* * * * *

CHAPTER XXIV

FULL STORY OF A COPY OF HEINECCIUS

The place found was in the upper part of a house backed on a canal. We
had two rooms, the second entering from the first; each had a chimney
built out into the floor in the Dutch manner; and being alongside, each
had the same prospect from the window of the top of a tree below us in a
little court, of a piece of the canal, and of houses in the Hollands
architecture and a church spire upon the further side. A full set of
bells hung in that spire and made delightful music; and when there was
any sun at all, it shone direct in our two chambers. From a tavern hard
by we had good meals sent in.

The first night we were both pretty weary, and she extremely so. There
was little talk between us, and I packed her off to her bed as soon as
she had eaten. The first thing in the morning I wrote word to Sprott to
have her mails sent on, together with a line to Alan at his chief's; a