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The brown sails of Tregenza's lugger flapped in the bay among a crowd of others, and every man was in a hurry to be off again at the earliest opportunity. Already the first boats home were putting to sea once more, making a wide tack across the mouth of the bay until nearly abreast of St.
A crowd of three hundred assembled in and around Tregenza's backyard and lined the adjacent walls to witness the ceremony and hear the speeches; but Elder Penno was neither a speech-maker nor a spectator.
The Elder, for his part, considered such an end no more than the due of one who had played him so inexcusable a trick over the insurance. From the first he had suspected this weakening of Tregenza's intellect to be something less than genuine a calculated infirmity, to excite public compassion and escape the blame his dishonest negligence so thoroughly deserved.
Tregenza's astonishment, had the fire burning and breakfast ready by the time her stepmother appeared. "Aw jimmery!" Thomasin exclaimed, as Joan came in from the outhouse to find her warming cold hands at the fire, "I couldn't b'lieve my eyes at first an' thot the piskey men had come to do us a turn spite o' what faither sez. You've turned over a leaf seemin'ly.
At eleven o'clock next morning he rapped at the door of Tregenza's hovel, which lay some way up the hill above the harbour, in a nexus of mean alleys and at the back of a tenement known as Ugnot's. His knock appeared to silence a hammering in the rear of the cottage.
Then, as they came between the arms of the harbor, as they shipped oars and glided to the steps, Tregenza's hybrid yellow dog, who accompanied the fisherman in all his goings, jumped ashore barking and galloped up the slippery steps with joy; while, at the same moment, a woman's sharp cry cut the air like a knife and two wild eyes looked down into the boat. "Wheer'm the bwoy, Michael?
"They be pleasant," admitted Mr. I was 'ludin' to this here. You do brown a 'tater to rights, mother." Mrs. Tregenza's shepherd's pies had a reputation, and anybody eating of one without favorable comment was judged to have made a hole in his manners. Now she helped the steaming delicacy and sighed as she sat down before her own ample share. "Lard knaws how I done it to-day.
Tom, dashed by these base details, answered seaman fashion: "Ay, ay, faither." Then they all tramped home, and the boy enjoyed the glories of a late supper, though he was half asleep before he had finished it. By half-past five o'clock, Mr. Tregenza's black lugger was off again in a gray dawn all tangled with gold on the eastern horizon.
Indeed he heard little after the first rambling outburst, for his own thoughts were busy with the problems of Tregenza's fate. "Sit down, mariner. I shan't sail till marnin' an' you'm welcome. Theer be thots in me so deep as Levant mine, but I doan't speak 'em for anybody's hearin'. Joan weern't none o' mine, an' I knawed it, thanks be to God, 'fore ever she played loose.
"Please, sir, Liz," the child stammered, looking down. "You're Sam Tregenza's grandchild, hey?" "Please, sir." "Then do you go home an' tell your grandfather, with my compliments, he ought to know better than to allow it. It's robbin' the ratepayers, that's what it is." "Yes, sir," she murmured, glancing down dubiously at the piece of wood in her hand. "You don't understand me," said the Elder.
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