d
us not to recognize him; still I could not think why. When we had talked
about Sir Alexander MacNairne the other day at Amsterdam, the Jonkheer
said nothing about their acquaintance. I wondered if there had been a
quarrel, and if so, what it could have been about, though it was
certainly no affair of mine. Still, it is hard to control one's
thoughts; and I wondered more and more as Jonkheer Brederode hurried
Nell and me back to the hotel, not by the short way we had taken before,
but dodging about through a dozen intricate streets as if he were
anxious to give trouble to any one who might be following. Our skipper
seemed preoccupied, too, which was a good thing for us, as it took his
mind off our crimes. As it was, he actually made no allusion to our
strange costume, our escapade, or even the hateful adventure from which
he had rescued us--for that he _had_ rescued us there was no question.
Sir Alexander MacNairne, with his quick temper, and his ignorance of
the Dutch character as well as the Dutch language, and the privileges
of Kermess week, was making matters worse for us, instead of better,
when Jonkheer Brederode dashed in and saved the situation. What would
have happened if he hadn't come, I dared not think, for there would
certainly have been a fight, and Nell and I might presently have found
ourselves, with Sir Alexander MacNairne, in the hands of the police.

The skipper might easily have enlarged on this, and pointed a moral
lesson, but not a word did he say about anything that had happened.
Maybe, this humiliated us even more than if he had scolded, for his
silence was very marked, and he appeared to take not the slightest
interest in either of us, except to get us indoors, where we could do no
further mischief. His manner was cold; and whether this arose from his
strange preoccupation, or from annoyance with us, I couldn't decide. In
either case, I was thankful when we were in our room, and had taken off
our shawls and the beautiful helmets which now I detested.

But we had not had time to undress, when there was a knock at the door.
Nell opened it, and there stood Lady MacNairne, in a dressing-gown, with
a veil wrapped over her head--perhaps to hide curling-pins. I thought
that Jonkheer Brederode must have roused her up to report our crimes,
and sent her to show us the error of our ways, though to do such a thing
was unlike him. But her first words proved that I had misjudged our poor
skipper.

"Girls,