"Really， Mr. Sclater，" his wife continued， "I had no idea what I was undertaking. But you gave me no choice. The creature is incorrigible. But of course he must prefer the society of women like that. They are the sort he was accustomed to when he received his first impressions， and how could it be otherwise？ You knew how he had been brought up， and what you had to expect！""Brought up！" cried the minister， and caused his spoonful of cockie-leekie to rush into his mouth with the noise of the German schl黵fen， then burst into a loud laugh. "You should have seen him about the streets！--with his trowsers--""Mister Sclater！ Then you ought to have known better！" said his wife， and laying down her spoon， sat back into the embrace of her chair.
But in reality she was not the least sorry he had undertaken the charge. She could not help loving the boy， and her words were merely the foam of vexation， mingled with not a little jealousy， that he had left her， and his nice hot dinner， to go with the woman.
Had she been a fine lady like herself， I doubt if she would have liked it much better； but she specially recoiled from coming into rivalry with one in whose house a horrible murder had been committed， and who had been before the magistrates in consequence.
Nothing further was said until the second course was on the table.
Then the lady spoke again：
"You really must， Mr. Sclater， teach him the absurdity of attempting to fit every point of his behaviour to--to--words which were of course quite suitable to the time when they were spoken， but which it is impossible to take literally now-a-days--as impossible as to go about the streets with a great horn on your head and a veil hanging across it.--Why！"--Here she laughed--a laugh the less lady-like that， although it was both low and musical， it was scornful， and a little shaken by doubt.--"You saw him throw his arms round the horrid creature's neck！--Well， he had just asked me if she was a sinner. I made no doubt she was. Off with the word goes my gentleman to embrace her！"Here they laughed together.
Dinner over， they went to a missionary meeting， where the one stood and made a speech and the other sat and listened， while Gibbie was having tea with Mistress Croale.
>From that day Gibbie's mind was much exercised as to what he could do for Mistress Croale， and now first he began to wish he had his money. As fast as he learned the finger-alphabet he had taught it to Donal， and， as already they had a good many symbols in use between them， so many indeed that Donal would often instead of speaking make use of signs， they had now the means of intercourse almost as free as if they had had between them two tongues instead of one. It was easy therefore for Gibbie to impart to Donal his anxiety concerning her， and his strong desire to help her， and doing so， he lamented in a gentle way his present inability. This communication Donal judged it wise to impart in his turn to Mistress Croale.
"Ye see， mem，" he said in conclusion， "he's some w'y or anither gotten 't intil's heid 'at ye're jist a wheen ower free wi' the boatle. I kenna. Ye'll be the best jeedge o' that yersel'！"Mistress Croale was silent for a whole minute by the clock. From the moment when Gibbie forsook his dinner and his grand new friends to go with her， the woman's heart had begun to grow to the boy， and her old memories fed the new crop of affection.
