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Updated: June 6, 2025
This had been the reasoning among the Fellness busybodies ever since Coomber had announced his intention of taking the little girl home; but he was as obstinate in this as in most other things. He had followed his own will, or rather the God-like compassion of his own heart, in spite of the poverty that surrounded him, and the hard struggle he often had to get bread enough for his own children.
Coomber to protest against this; she knew if her husband made up his mind to do anything he would do it; but she almost dreaded supper-time coming, for she could not tell how Tiny would like the proposed change in her nurse and diet. But as it happened the little girl was very pleased to be lifted out of bed and seated on Coomber's knee at the table.
"I'll take care of it," she said, "and you go and get your supper." It was not often that the fisherman's family were up so late as this, but no one seemed in a hurry to go to bed. Coomber himself was so good-tempered that his wife and Bob forgot their habitual fear of him in listening to his account of how brave Tiny had been, and how Dame Peters thought she was growing very fast.
As soon as her eyes were open the next morning Tiny thought of her treasure, and crept into the boys' room to tell Dick the wonderful news. But to her surprise she found the bed was empty; and, peeping into the kitchen, saw Mrs. Coomber washing up the breakfast things. "Oh, mammy, what is the time?" she exclaimed, but yawning as she spoke. "Oh, you're awake at last.
Daddy's going shrimping to-day." "What a bother that net is," said Tiny. "Daddy's always mending it." "Yes, so he is, deary. It's old, you see, and we can't afford to get a new one." "I've got to get a lot of samphire to-day, and I promised Dick I'd make some more letters for him in the sand," said Tiny, meditatively. "But daddy wants you to help him with the net," suggested Mrs. Coomber.
Coomber was puzzled for a minute to know what he meant, and was about to say that he wanted no payment for keeping Tiny; but the other lifted his hand in a commanding manner, and exclaimed: "Now, hear me first. Let me have my say, and then, perhaps, we can come to terms about the matter. You've got a wife, I s'pose, that can look after this child.
Coomber tried to persuade her husband to go and see the child in the daytime; but he only shook his head. "She hates me, and I don't deserve to see her agin," he said, gloomily. He returned the same answer again and again, when pressed to go in and see her before he went out with his gun in the morning.
"I know nothing about him, I tell you," said the other, coldly; "I never saw or spoke to my daughter after she married him; but I'm willing to do something for the little child, seeing it was my girl's last wish." "The child," repeated Coomber. "Do you mean to say little Tiny is my Jack's child?" "Well, yes, of course I do. What else could I mean?" replied the other.
Coomber of her wonderful discovery; and she, scarcely daring to believe that such good news could be true, ran out at once to see for herself, and met the boys, who confirmed Tiny's tale. But she must see the cask for herself, and then she ate and filled her apron, and shed tears, and thanked God for this wonderful gift all at the same time.
"Ain't Dick come home yet?" she asked, throwing herself on the floor. "They ain't done the net yet. Tom came to fetch you a little while ago." "I don't want Tom, I want Dick. We're going to make some letters, and learn to read," said Tiny. "You'd better leave the reading alone, if it makes you so cross," said Mrs. Coomber. "No, it don't make me cross; it's that nasty net."
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