I Saw Three Ships and Other Winter Tales

crew out of the void upon this particular

ne. So, for a moment it left her, securely gripped and bumping her stern-post on the ledge beneath. As the next sea deluged her, and the next, the folk above saw her crew fight their way forward up the slippery deck, under sheets of foam. With the fifth or six wave her mizen-mast went; she split open amid

them back against the rock, now tried to wrench them from it; and all the way it was a tough battle for breath. The foremost was Jim Lewarn

e rock plunged abruptly, c

ts was an acknowledged fool, and had a wife to remind him of it; but perch him out of female criticism, on a dizzy foothold such as this, and set

at it was firm. Next, reeving one end of the rope into a running noose, he flung it over the pinnacle, and with a tug had it taut. This done, he tilted h

his left hand, and with his right caught and flung the leaded end far out. It fell true as a bullet, across the wreck. As it dropped, a sea almo

wered along the first by a noose. One by one the whole crew-four men and a cabin-boy-

her results besides wrecking an ant-hill, but the wise ants do not pursue these in the Insurance Reports. So it only concerns us that the destruction of the schooner led in time t

th a cargo of red wine and chestnuts. At Falmouth, where she had run in for a couple of days, on account of a damaged rudder, the captain paid off his extra hands, foreseeing no difficulty in the voyage up Channel. She h

a snail's pace. By the church gate she met the belated Methodists hurrying up, and passed a word or two of information that sent them panting on. A little beyond, at the point where the peninsula joins the mainland, she faced round to the wind again for a

e figure's sea-boots; "now that's what I'd call a proper womanly masterpiece

aid his prospective dau

eath to humour her. Why, my dear, you must know from my tellin' that

upturned face was of a sickly yellow, smeared with blood and crusted with salt. The same white crust fi

or two hour yet; an' it hasn' reached my ears that the fashion of thankin' the Lord for His bounty have a-perished out o' this old-fan

raw my curtains," said she, answering sar

alled after her, "when the kiss-i'-the-ring begins! Well-a-fine! What a teasin' armful is

r, first along," answe

Sim, as you do entertai

e scene,' says he, ''specially seein' you had nowt to be thankful for but a cargo o' sugar that the sea melted afore you could get it.' (Lift the pore chap aisy, Sim.) By crum! Sim, I mind

overtook I must ha'

s of en.) But to-day

is'

mild, my sons, as '

ather, that erased their outlines in a bluish mist, through which t

her shoes squishing at every step. At first she took the road leading down-hill to Ruan Cove, but turned to

upper floor, however, one could look over it upon the duck-pond across the road, and down across two grass meadows to the cove. A white gate opened on the courtlage, and the path from this to the front door was marked out by

that a roast goose, I

bucket of water, gave a jump, and cut her finger, dropping forthwith a half-peeled magnum bo

ing it round the cut. "Look what you've done, Miss Ruby! an'

s'mas dinner, you

from, and a steel hook attached to these threads. Fix the joint or fowl firmly on the hook, give it a spin with the hand, and the worsted threads wound, unwound, and wound again, turning it before the blaze-a

an' nex' 'tis 'Where be the stable key, Mary Jane, my dear?' an' then agen, 'Will'ee be so good as to fetch master's second-best spy-glass, Mary Jane, an' look slippy?'-an' me wi' a goose to stuff, singe, an' roast, an' 'tatties to peel, an' gr

don't care if I die." Ruby sank o

'ee no

ry Jane, you selfish thing, you've never asked about my banns, no more'n the res

l- lily-white an' yet rosy-red-hot an' yet cold-'don't lift

me the Gauger stunnin' and shoutin' 'Wreck! wreck!' like a trumpet, an' the church was full o' wind, an' the folk ran this wa

on't Care, an' change your frock, an' we'll step down to th' cove after dinner an' there be heartless and fancy-free.

s, her moist eyes resting beyond the window on the midden-heap acro

ht to be above it. I'll pull my curtains an' si

f enjoyment. She went back to the goose sad at heart

, and coarsely ignoring what he called his daughter's "faddles"), the two girls retired to the chamber up-stairs; where the mistress was as good as her word, and pul

uring which Mary Jane wrestled with a hard word. Ruby herself had taught the girl this accomplishment-rare enough at the time-and Mary Jane handled it gingerly, beginning each sentence in a whisper,

flicting em-otions, I resume the nar-rative of those fa-tal moments whi

pell it,

! if I han't read that full stop out loud! Lord Bel-field, though an ad-ept in all the arts of dis-sim-u-la-tion (and how of-ten do we not see these arts al-lied with un-s

as dinner, were returning to the spoil. Some lined the edge of the breakers, waiting the moment to rush in for a cask or spar that the tide brought within reach; others (among whom she seemed to descry Young Zeb) were clambering out with grapnels along the western ro

istress crane forward with curiosity, st

they'm teen

o back to your reading, this instant." (A pause.)

clever

nnet an' clogs, an' run down to look. I must know. No, I'm not goin'-the idea! I wonder at

, but still with frequent glances out of window. Twice the book dropped off her lap; twice she picked it up and laboriously found the page again. Then she gave it up, and descended to the back door, to see if anyone were about who might give her news. But the town-place w

lour below. The sound whirred up through the planching twice as loud as usual. It was shameful to be left alone like this, to be robbed, murdered, goodness knew what. The bonfire began to die out, but every now an

mstone match, and, looking up, saw her face confronting her, blue and tragical, from the dark-framed mirror, it reminded her of Lady Macbeth. Hastily lighting the candle, she caught up a shawl and cr

ne it was dark as pitch. This did not so much matter, as the rain had poured down it like a sluice, washing the flints clean. Ruby's lantern swung to and fro, ca

stinguish the songs, shouts, and shrill laug

-i'-the-ring. That's

can kiss a mouth li

s the bonfire, grasping as she w

e embers together, Toby Lewarne (Jim's elder brother) thumping a pannikin on his knee and bellowing a carol, and a dozen others-in stages varying from qualified sob

warne, breaking off The Third Go

up to shout. "Thee'rt so good as wed already; so

right to left slowly round the circle of men and maids that, with joined hands and screams of laughter, danced as slowly in the ot

letter t

water in

dropped it-droppe

kerchief over

eb

chief off Modesty's neck,

few sober men by the fir

cried one of the girls;

b, for s

away, where Ruby stood holding the lantern high, its ray full on her fac

each with shouts and peals of laughter, slipping in between him and his quarry. The elders by the fire held their sides and cheered the sport. Twice Zeb was tripped up by a mischievous boot, floundered and went sprawlin

t her will or dissent; had suddenly sprung, as it were, out of the ground. She only knew that she was very angry with Z

from the sea towards the fire, with Zeb's feet pounding behind her, and her soul possessed with the dread to feel his

ee seconds: and when he s

rd, deli

y one, like dropping stones. His face was like a ghost's in the bonfire's light, and h

to do with Young Zeb, whose arms were binding hers, and whose brea

, motionless, as if suspended against the black sky, rose

at long curdling shriek for which they waited. The great masts quivered for a second