papa, with two boat-loads of men and about thirty ships
involved in it! Oh, do let me hear all about it!"

"Whatever it may be, your presence is not required, and would be
improper. Unless I should happen to want a book; and in that case I
might ring for you."

"Oh, do, papa, do! No one else can ever find them. Promise me now that
you will want a book. If I am not there, there will be no justice done.
I wish you severely to reprimand, whatever the facts of the case may be,
and even to punish, if you can, that tall, lame, violent, ferocious
man, for dragging the poor fellow about like that, and cutting him with
ropes, when completely needless, and when he was quite at his mercy.
It is my opinion that the other man does not deserve one bit of it; and
whatever the law may be, papa, your duty is to strain it benevolently,
and question every syllable upon the stronger side."

"Perhaps I had better resign, my dear, upon condition that you shall be
appointed in the stead of me. It might be a popular measure, and would
secure universal justice."

"Papa, I would do justice to myself--which is a thing you never do. But
here, they are landing; and they hoist him out as if he were a sack,
or a thing without a joint. They could scarcely be harder with a man
compelled to be hanged to-morrow morning."

"Condemned is what you mean, Janetta. You never will understand the use
of words. What a nice magistrate you would make!"

"There can be no more correct expression. Would any man be hanged if he
were not compelled? Papa, you say the most illegal things sometimes. Now
please to go in and get up your legal points. Let me go and meet those
people for you. I will keep them waiting till you are quite ready."

"My dear, you will go to your room, and try to learn a little patience.
You begin to be too pat with your own opinions, which in a young lady is
ungraceful. There, you need not cry, my darling, because your opinions
are always sensible, and I value them very highly; but still you must
bear in mind that you are but a girl."

"And behave accordingly, as they say. Nobody can do more so. But though
I am only a girl, papa, can you put your hand upon a better one?"

"Certainly not, my dear; for going down hill, I can always depend on
you."

Suiting the action to the word, Dr. Upround, whose feet were a little
touched with gout, came down from his outlook to his kitchen-garden, and
thence through the shrubbery back to his own study