your attention to!
The smuggling itself is not only a crime but a sin; every bit as much a
sin as the violence and swearing which go with it."

"No swearing at all," said Ann Geen. "You don't know John Carter, or
you wouldn' suggest such a thing. Every man that swears in his employ
is docked sixpence out of his pay. My sister-in-law keeps the money in
a box over her chimney-piece, and they drink it out together come
Christmas."

By this the preacher was fairly dancing. "Woman!" he shouted, soon as
he could recover his mouth-speech.

"I'm no such thing!" said she, up at once and very indignant.
"And your master, John Wesley, would never have said it."

The preacher took a gulp and tried a quieter tack. "I beg your pardon,
ma'am," says he, "but you seemed to be wilfully misunderstanding me.
Let us confine ourselves to smuggling," says he.

"Very well," says she; "I'm agreeable."

"I tell you, then, that it's a sin; it's defrauding the King just as
much as if you dipped your hand into His Majesty's pocket"--"I shouldn'
dream of being so familiar," said Mrs. Geen, but he didn't hear her--
"and if you'll permit me, I'll explain how that is," he said.

"Well," she allowed, folding the shawl about her which she always wore
in the hottest weather; "you can say what you mind to about it, so long
as you help me get my Phoby back. That's what I come for."

I daresay, now, you've sometimes heard it brought up against us in these
parts that we're like the men of Athens, always ready to listen to any
new thing. The preacher took up his parable then and there; and being,
as I say, an able man in spite of his looks, within half an hour he had
actually convinced the woman that there was something to be ashamed of
in smuggling. And as soon as he'd done that, nothing would satisfy her
but to hire the pony-cart from the George and Dragon and drive the
preacher to Prussia Cove the very next day to rescue her boy from these
evil companions. "'Twould be a great thing to convince John Carter,"
she said, "and a feather in your cap. And even if you don't, the place
is worth seeing, and he usually kills a pair of ducks for visitors."

So early the next day (Tuesday, June 4), away they started; and, the day
being hot and the pony slow, arrived at Bessie Bussow's about four
o'clock. 'Tis a pretty peaceable spot on a June afternoon, with the sun
dropping out to sea and right against your eyes; and this day the Cove
seemed more