By Conduct and Courage

en asked themselves. There was surely nobody who could dance in the village, and the few coppers he would gain by performing on his violin would not repay him for his trouble. Moreover, Sca

he lived for three weeks; and then the end came suddenly. The child ran out one morning from his room crying and saying that daddy was asleep and he could [pg 12]not wake him, and on the fisherman going in he saw that life had been extinct for some hours. Probably it had come suddenly to the musician himself, for there w

question arose. What was

s father. Fifteen pounds had been found in the dead man's kit. This, however, would fall to the share of the

friends, but his death came too suddenly. Here is fifteen pounds. Not much good, you will say; and it isn't. It

t enough to replace them. Perhaps he would take the child in return for the fifteen pounds. His old woman could do with him, too, and would soon make h

I could do with him, and the brass would be mighty useful to me just now; but how does the

, and two of us, to go up to parson, and ask him how the matter stands. If

re no say in the matter, unless they were called upon to take the child. Should any question be asked, he would state that he himself had gone into the matter and had strongly approved of the arra

the fisherman's cottage. It was a pleasant change to him after having been a wanderer with his father for as far back as he could remember. The old woman was kind in her rough way, and soon

life he was put to the village school, which was much less to his liking. Here, fortunately for himself, he attracted the notice of the clergyman's daughter, a girl of sixteen. She, of course, knew his story, and was filled

y such men drive hackney-coaches in our large towns; some of them enlist in the army; but wherever they are, and whatever they take up, they are sure to stay near the foot of the tree. They have no inclination for better things. They work as hard as men who have steady employment, but they prefer their own liberty with a crust to a solid meal regularly earned. I agree with you myself that there was an appearance of having seen better times about this man; I can go so far with you as to admit that I t

t from the perfunctory teaching of the old dame at the school. She would urge him on by telling him that if he would attend to his lessons he would some day be able to rise to a better position than that of a village fisherman. His father, no doubt, had had a good e

e was ten his regular schooling was a great deal interrupted, as it was considered that when a boy reached that age it was high time that he began to assist his father in the boat. He was glad of his freedom and the sense that he was able t

le on the whole Yorkshire coast, and cargoes were sometimes run under the very noses of the revenue officers, who were put off the scent by many ingenious contrivances. Before a vessel was expected in, rumours would be circulated of an intention to land the cargo on some distant spot, a

quickly carry the news to the village. A score of boys were thus employed, so that any movement which seemed to evidence a concentration of the coast-guard men was almost certain

is friend, Miss Warden, could teach him but little more, but

is carried on here. Last week there was a fight, and three of the men of the village

was anything wrong in smuggling. He regarded it as a mere contest of wits between the

most everyone takes part in it, and the farmers rou

much robbery to avoid the excise duties as it is to carry off property from a house, and it has been a great grief to my father that his parishioners, otherwise honest and God-fearing people, should take part in such doings, as is evidenced by

in that way, miss," t

r being away on a long voyage, you would forget all that you have learnt, and would be as rough as themselves. This would be a poor ending indeed to all the pains I have taken with you, and all the

if necessary, I will leave the village now that you are going to be married. If you had been going t

ain some situation for you at Scarborough or Whitby, where you could, after your work is done, continue your education. But I beg you to do nothing rashly. It would be better if you could stay here for another year or so. We may hope that the men will not be so annoyed as you think at your refusal to take further part in the smuggling operations. At any rate, stay if you can for a time. It will be two months before I leave, and [pg 19]three more before I am settled in my new home at Scarborough. When I am so I have no doubt that

ong, and therefore joined in it willingly enough, but now you tell me t

he aid I have given you has not been thrown away. What sort

ins to understand those books of navigation you bought for me. I don't say that I have mastered them all, b

as afraid then that you would take to the [pg 20]sea. It is a hard life, but one in which a young man capable of navigating a ship should be able to make his way. Brought up, as you have been, on the sea, it is not wonderful that you should choose

he informed him that he did not mean to h

d. "Don't I get five shillings for every night you are out, gene

What good comes of it? Here we have three empty cottages, and five or six others from which the heads will be absent for years. It is

old man said angrily. "It was that pa

You know that I am not like the other boys of the village; I can read and write well, and I have gathered a lot of knowledge from books. Abuse me as much as you like, but

ake a shift with for the rest of my life, even if I work no longer. But I don't like this freak that you have taken into your head. It will mean trouble, lad, as sure as you are standing there. The men here won't understand you, and will like eno

that a cargo was going to be landed. Surely it is possible to stand aside from it all without being suspected of having gone over to the enemy. No gold that they cou

an shook

know our fellows better than you do, and I fores

ow that I know that it is wrong to cheat the revenue I will have no more to do with it. It would be a nic

remaining at home. With this decision she quite agreed, feeling that he was indeed becoming incapable of doing the work, and every time he had gone out in anything but the calmest weather she had been filled with apprehension as to what would happen if a storm were to blow up. He was really sorry for the boy, being convinc

d always got on well without it, and when the school was first started he and many others shook their heads gravely over it, and regarded it as a fad of the parson's. Still, as it only affected children too young to be use

ng development on the part of the boy. His wife was full of indignation, which was, howe

rden," she said, "and tell her ho

d he always finishes his sermons in time for us to get home to dinner. I agree with you that the young madam has done harm, and I greatly fear that trouble will come to the boy. There are places where smu

teal away to the moors with his books. Presently the elder boys took to throwing sods at him as he passed, and calling spy and other opprobrious epithets after him. This brought [pg 24]on several severe fights, and as Will made up for want of weight by pluck and activity his opponents mor

rged again and again; "you will only make it

is morning for abusing you. He said if you were not working with them, why did you give up being on the watch. I told him it was no odds to me why you gave it up, I supposed that you had a right to do as you liked. Then from words

ou as a chum on board. We have always been great friends, and I am sure we always shall be, Tommy. If I were you I would think it over a good many [pg 25]times before you decide upon it. You see I have learnt a great deal from books to prepare myself for a sea life. Miss Warden is going to try to get me taken as an a

will try what I can do. But at any rate

she has promised that her husband will try to get me apprenticed either there or at Whitby, which is a large port. Directly I get on board a ship I will let yo

hat he likes and what he don't. You may be sure that I sha'n't ask him, but shall

y promise that I will do so as soon as I have a chance. It may be a month, [pg 26]and it may be a year; it may even be three or four years, for though there is alwa

cry, and, looking down, saw Tom Stevens in a deep pool. It had precipitous sides, and

the water. He saw at once that his friend's strength was well-nigh spent, and, leaping in, he swam to him. "Put your arms round my neck," he said. "I will swim down with you to the point

ll," the boy said when

w on earth did you manag

lling over. I tried to swim, which, of course, would have been nothing for me, but I think my knee is smashed, and it hurt me so frightfully that I screamed out with pain, and

lk now, do

y myself, but I might if I le

ce, but at last said: "It is of no

k and I will see wha

cliff. "I must get help to carry you up here, Tom; it is very steep, and I am su

re will be no hardship in that, and I kno

lly. "I will tell John Hammond, and h

men are out, but I dare say the

ink he has broken his leg, and he has been nearly drowned. Will you go and see his uncle, and get three or four men to carry him home.

man said. "The boy

r some days. He lay for a week in bed, and was then only able to hobble about with the aid of a stick. When he related how Will had saved him there was a slight revulsion of feeling among the better-disposed boys, but this was of short duration. It became known that a French lugger would soon be on the coast. Will

up to Will, who was a s

you betrayed them last night, and I do believe they will throw you over the cliff.

full speed. With oaths and shouts the men pursued him. The coast-guard station was two miles away, and he reached it fif

, lad?" the sub-officer in

betrayed them, but you

ve that you are a good young fellow. I have always h

know that there was any harm in it till Miss Warden told me, and then

you goin

you will let me. I am sure the

ust going to have dinner, and I dare say you can eat somethin

s been very kind to me, and h

liked by his fellows when he is cle

t you won't be able to return to the village. I think

d bought a boat with that and what he had saved. I was bound to stay with him until I was fourt

er thought of going

have not settled anything. I thoug

a petty officer. No lad of spirit would take to the life of a merchantman who could enter the navy. I don't say that some of the Indiamen are not fine ships, but you would find it ve

oes one shi

tside for five years; and if you find that you do not like it, at

e merchant navy

kicked and cuffed all round, whereas on a man-of-war I don't say it would be all eas

will think it

make a choice like that; but it seems to me that, being without friends as you are, and having made ene

do better than pass a few years on a man-of-war, for aft

eep upon

e, or settle on land. He would have liked to consult Miss Warden, but this was out of the question. He knew the men who had pursued him well enough to be sure that his life would not be safe if they caught him. He might make his way out of the station at night, but even that was doubtful. Besides, if he

I don't know what is to be done. Nothing will co

cept, perhaps, in passing, and then I would do no more than make a remark about the weather. Besides, no one

think it would be sa

uite settled what I shall do, but certainl

re you going

ave half decided to ship as a

erever you go, but I should like

now; you would have to make up y

id; "it can't be harder for

k it over, and if you come in the morning with your mind made up, I w