"Wilmington was in Delaware, where I have seen him on ze map."
"No, sir; this Wilmington is in North Carolina. If you look out on the waters of the harbor, half the vessels you see there are blockade-runners," added the consul. "And there are more of them at St. George's. It was only yesterday that a steamer I believe to be intended for a man-of-war for the Confederacy came into the port of St. George's, and I have been much occupied with her affairs, which is probably the reason for this attempt to assault me."
"Ze man-of-war," repeated the Frenchman. "Ze war, c'est la guerre; mais wat was ze man?"
"She is a vessel used for war purposes."
"She! She is a woman; and I think that steamer was a woman-of-war."
The consul laughed heartily, but insisted upon the feminine designation of the steamer.
"What you call ze name of ze man-of-war?" asked M. Rubempré, putting on a very puzzled expression of countenance.
"The Dornoch," replied Mr. Alwayn.
"The D'Ornoch," added the detective. "How you write him—like zis?" and he wrote it on a piece of paper by his own method.
"Not exactly," replied the consul, writing it as given in English.