The House on the Beach: A Realistic Tale

. Tinnnan's house was inquired for. Crickledon left off planing; at half-sprawl over the board, he bawled out, "Turn to the right; right ahead; can't mistake it." He nodded to one of the cronies

. His friends indulged in their privilege of thinking what they liked, and there was the usual silence of tongues in the shop. He furnished them sound and motion for their amusement, and now and then a scrap of conver

"Here's a pretty pickle!" and bustled to make way for a man well known to them as Ned Crummins, the upholsterer's man, on whose back hung an article of fur

was the gen

deuce!-no bones broken, that's one thing. The fell

ledon remarked, and laid fin

said Crummins, depositing the

s here, and in the pitch dark I thought I was at the door of old Mart Tinman's house, and dash me if I did n't go in-crash! But what the deuce do you do, carryi

nows the way, never fear me'; for I thinks I hears him call from his house, 'Do ye see the way?' and into me this gentleman runs all his might, and smas

lling, 'I'm sure I

tleman. "What was the good of your turning that glas

so on a pitch dark night, you never can tell whether they be on one shoulder

damage? Here," said the gentleman, fumbling at

n pomposity swelled the gentleman's tone. His delivery of the card ap

Ned Crummins in his task; the latter's look of sad concern on

ce was heard close besi

ere been an accid

d, and that won't stump us. But these are what I call queer doings in Old England, when you can't take a step in the

, body and baggage, on your mayor, or whatever he is-my old schoolmate; but I don't so much like this beginning. A c

ike manner, the very simple question put by Mr. Van Diemen Smith pursued its course of penetration in the assemb

an inn? There must be some

ion at the Cliff Hotel h

sir, there's Master Crickledon's own house next door, and his wif

an mention it? Is he af

hunderingly. "I may n

ou, you inquire the rout

re in Au

y you must consider that it may not be conv

don. "I make a point of never recommending my own house.

ing bounce on my old sc

the proof," Mr. Smith m

d glass! No, we'll bide

s to Mart Tinman to-mor

reakf

aved his hand for Cric

ad been turning over and over, more and more like

master a card instead of

se at night," said Mr. Smith. "If I'm to pay for it, I've a right to know. What's the meaning of moving it at nig

ter along o' me, sir," said Cru

to state who his mast

but Mr. Smith positivel

is a crown for you, fo

nd me in the morning; a

give me a very good acc

glass on a night like

spoke to him about the glass; two or three of the others present jogged him. "What did Mr. Tinman want

er lip and agitate his eyelids and stand uneasily, glim

Mr. Smith, then loo

never mind how you says it. English is English. Mr. Tinm

" said C

u went

that

the chiwal glas

did

sailing. Had he

t bought it. H

ht hazard the statement that they shed them like leaves of the tree, so Crummins, who had shrunk from speech, now volunteered whole sentences in succession, and how important they were

patched imperative orders to Phippun and Company to take the glass out of his house on the spot. And why? Because, as he maintained, there w

Ned," said

e flow of the story by suggesting to the narrator that he must "hark back," which to him

a-standin' in hi

choolmate gave a j

of standing was really not extraordin

hat he was standin' in, and as I

?" said Mr. Van Diemen S

. Many would have ornamented it in the r

ith, and gazed at his daughter so glassily that she smiled, tho

at a low word from Ned Crummins. "Practicing, is he? Mr. Tinman's pract

shillin'," s

d him immediately. "We

e

? was thus cauti

ence, he thrust his hand down his pocket to finger the crown-piece lying in fellowship with the coin it multiplied five times, and was inspired to think himself at liberty to say: "All I saw was when the

e than a rapid indication of the posture of Mr. Tinman in his retreat before the glass. But it was a glimpse of broad burlesq

tin Tinman practicing before a chiwal glass to present himself at the p

Mr. Van Diemen Smith inquired, like th

liff of the town,

objection to tha

e gentleman," Crickledon

mmi

said it was misty, a

nced at Crickledon and the other faces for the

for thinking diff

ool," said

is head. "Sharp

e," said t

Mr. Tinman would probably en

afford to pay half the money f

cent catastrophe was pre

so in the scene witnessed by Crummins, if they postponed a bit their right to the laugh and took it in doses, Annette induced her father to signal to Crickledon hi

ve had a disappointment

ne

hat glass, and visit it on him. But, upon my honour, he's my only friend in England, I have n't a single relative that I know

We can hardly say he is our only

ay if you talk of him. He's a stranger. I don't believe he

were hurriedly exchan

edon's

promising," s

ommend it," s

do you let your

ave come once

d joyfully, feeling at home in some