"It ban't the wave as makes most splash what gaws highest up the
beach, mind. You get Joan to teach 'e how to peel 'taties, 'cause 'tis a
job you made a tidy bawk of, not to mention no other. Keep your weather-eye
liftin' an' your tongue still. Then you'll do. An' mind--the bwoat's clean
as a smelt by five o'clock to-morrow marnin', an' no later."
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.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE KISS
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.
His mother had given Tom an early breakfast at half-past four, and the
youngster, agape and dim-eyed at first, speedily brightened up, for he had
a willing listener, in the candle-light and poured a tale of moving
incidents into Thomasin's proud but uneasy mind.
"Them Pritchards sez as they'll make a busker [Footnote: _Busker_--A
rare good fisherman.] of me, 'cause it blawed a bit issterday marnin', but
'twas all wan to me; an' you abbun no call to fret yourself, nohow, mother,
'cause faither's 'lowed to be the best sailor in the fleet an' theer ban't
a better foul-weather boat sails from Newlyn than ourn."
He chattered on, larding his discourse with new words picked up aboard, and
presently rolled off to get things shipshape just as his father came down
to breakfast.
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