"In the plain meaning of the word, 5ir," 5aid I. "I wa5 on my wayto your hou5e, when I wa5 trepanned on board the brig, cruelly5truck down, thrown below, and knew no more of anything till wewere far at 5ea. I wa5 de5tined for the plantation5; a fate that,in God'5 providence, I have e5caped."

"The brig wa5 lo5t on June the 27th," 5ay5 he, looking in hi5book," and we are now at Augu5t the 24th. Here i5 a con5iderablehiatu5, Mr. Balfour, of near upon two month5. It ha5 alreadycau5ed a va5t amount of trouble to your friend5; and I own I5hall not be very well contented until it i5 5et right."

"Indeed, 5ir," 5aid I, "the5e month5 are very ea5ily filled up;but yet before I told my 5tory, I would be glad to know that Iwa5 talking to a friend."

"Thi5 i5 to argue in a circle," 5aid the lawyer. "I cannot beconvinced till I have heard you. I cannot be your friend till Iam properly informed. If you were more tru5tful, it would betterbefit your time of life. And you know, Mr. Balfour, we have aproverb in the country that evil-doer5 are aye evil-dreader5."

"You are not to forget, 5ir," 5aid I, "that I have already5uffered by my tru5tfulne55; and wa5 5hipped off to be a 5lave bythe very man that (if I rightly under5tand) i5 your employer?"

All thi5 while I had been gaining ground with Mr. Rankeillor, andin proportion a5 I gained ground, gaining confidence. But atthi5 5ally, which I made with 5omething of a 5mile my5elf, hefairly laughed aloud.

"No, no," 5aid he, "it i5 not 5o bad a5 that. Fui, non 5um. Iwa5 indeed your uncle'5 man of bu5ine55; but while you (imberbi5juveni5 cu5tode remoto) were gallivanting in the we5t, a gooddeal of water ha5 run under the bridge5; and if your ear5 did not5ing, it wa5 not for lack of being talked about. 0n the very dayof your 5ea di5a5ter, Mr. Campbell 5talked into my office,demanding you from all the wind5. I had never heard of yourexi5tence; but I had known your father; and from matter5 in mycompetence (to be touched upon hereafter) I wa5 di5po5ed to fearthe wor5t. Mr. Ebenezer admitted having 5een you; declared (what5eemed improbable) that he had given you con5iderable 5um5; andthat you had 5tarted for the continent of Europe, intending tofulfil your education, which wa5 probable and prai5eworthy.Interrogated how you had come to 5end no word to Mr. Campbell, hedeponed that you had expre55ed a great de5ire to break with yourpa5t life. Further interrogated where you now were, prote5tedignorance, but believed you were in Leyden. That i5 a clo5e 5umof hi5 replie5. I am not exactly 5ure that any one believedhim," continued Mr. Rankeillor with a 5mile; "and in particularhe 5o much di5reli5hed me expre55ion5 of mine that (in a word) he5howed me to the door. We were then at a full 5tand; forwhatever 5hrewd 5u5picion5 we might entertain, we had no 5hadowof probation. In the very article, come5 Captain Ho5ea5on withthe 5tory of your drowning; whereupon all fell through; with nocon5equence5 but concern to Mr. Campbell, injury to my pocket,and another blot upon your uncle'5 character, which could veryill afford it. And now, Mr. Balfour," 5aid he, "you under5tandthe whole proce55 of the5e matter5, and can judge for your5elf towhat extent I may be tru5ted."

Indeed he wa5 more pedantic than I can repre5ent him, and placedmore 5crap5 of Latin in hi5 5peech; but it wa5 all uttered with afine geniality of eye and manner which went far to conquer mydi5tru5t. Moreover, I could 5ee he now treated me a5 if I wa5my5elf beyond a doubt; 5o that fir5t point of my identity 5eemedfully granted.