He saw terribly elaborate explanations gathering and shrank from them.
Then Scrymgeour was one day out in a punt, when he encountered the old gentleman in a canoe.

The old man said, purple with passion, that he was on his way to pay Mr.Scrymgeour a business visit.

"Oh, yes," he continued, "I know who you are; if I had not discovered you were a man of means I would not have let the thing go on, and now I insist on an explanation." Explanations! They made for Scrymgeour's house-boat, with almost no words on the young man's part; but the father blurted out several things--as that his daughter knew where he was going when he left the _Heathen Chinee_, and that he had an hour before seen Scrymgeour making love to another girl.
"Don't deny it!" cried the indignant father; "I recognized you by your velvet coat and broad hat." Then Scrymgeour began to see more clearly.

The girl had encouraged the deception, and had been allowed to meet her lover because he was supposed to be no adventurer but the wealthy Mr.Scrymgeour.She must have told the fellow to get a coat and hat like his to help the plot.
At the time the artist only saw all this in a jumble.
Scrymgeour had bravely resolved to explain everything now; but his bewilderment may be conceived when, on entering his saloon with the lady's father, the first thing they saw was the lady herself.

The old gentleman gasped, and his daughter looked at Scrymgeour imploringly.
"Now," said the father fiercely, "explain." The lady's tears became her vastly.