He moved quickly to the smouldering youth, interposing himself between the boy and the crowd. “Listen, you little guttersnipe,” he hissed, bending over him. “Come with me now if you want to stay out of gaol.” Then, taking the boy by the hand, he began leading him away.
“Oi! You there!” called one of the citizens. “You know that boy?”
“Yes,” called Douglas over his shoulder. He kept walking. “It’s all right.”
“Are you his father?” called another onlooker.
“Yes,” he answered, then added under his breath, “I am now.”