dressed to himself, when she happened to be more out
of temper than usual, he never therefore questioned her friendship.
What more than anything else attracted him to her house, however,
was the jolly manners and open-hearted kindness of most of the
sailors who frequented it, with almost all of whom he was a
favourite; and it soon came about that, when his ministrations to
the incapable were over, he would spend the rest of the night more
frequently there than anywhere else; until at last he gave up, in a
great measure, his guardianship of the drunk in the streets for that
of those who were certainly in much more danger of mishap at Lucky
Croale's. Scarcely a night passed when he was not present at one or
more of the quarrels of which the place was a hot-bed; and as he
never by any chance took a part, or favoured one side more than
another, but confined himself to an impartial distribution of such
peace-making blandishments as the ever-springing fountain of his
affection took instinctive shape in, the wee baronet came to be
regarded, by the better sort of the rough fellows, almost as the
very identical sweet little cherub, sitting perched up aloft, whose
department in the saving business of the universe it was, to take
care of the life of poor Jack. I do not say that he was always
successful in his endeavours at atonement, but beyond a doubt Lucky
Croale's house was a good deal less of a hell through the haunting
presence of the child. He was not shocked by the things he saw,
even when he liked them least. He regarded the doing of them much
as he had looked upon his father's drunkenness--as a pitiful
necessity that overtook men--one from which there was no escape, and
which caused a great need for Gibbies. Evil language and coarse
behaviour alike passed over him, without leaving the smallest stain
upon heart or conscience, desire or will. No one could doubt it who
considered the clarity of his face and eyes, in which the occasional
but not frequent expression of keenness and promptitude scarcely
even ruffled the prevailing look of unclouded heavenly babyhood.

If any one thinks I am unfaithful to human fact, and overcharge the
description of this child, I on my side doubt the extent of the
experience of that man or woman. I admit the child a rarity, but a
rarity in the right direction, and therefore a being with whom
humanity has the greater need to be made acquainted. I admit that
the best things are the commo