th Earth immortal
(Citizens, I give you friendly warning).
The things that truly last when men and times have passed,
They are all in Pennsylvania this morning!

Brother Square-Toes

It was almost the end of their visit to the seaside. They had turned
themselves out of doors while their trunks were being packed, and
strolled over the Downs towards the dull evening sea. The tide was dead
low under the chalk cliffs, and the little wrinkled waves grieved along
the sands up the coast to Newhaven and down the coast to long, grey
Brighton, whose smoke trailed out across the Channel.

They walked to The Gap, where the cliff is only a few feet high. A
windlass for hoisting shingle from the beach below stands at the edge of
it. The Coastguard cottages are a little farther on, and an old ship's
figurehead of a Turk in a turban stared at them over the wall. 'This
time tomorrow we shall be at home, thank goodness,' said Una. 'I hate
the sea!'

'I believe it's all right in the middle,' said Dan. 'The edges are the
sorrowful parts.'

Cordery, the coastguard, came out of the cottage, levelled his telescope
at some fishing-boats, shut it with a click and walked away. He grew
smaller and smaller along the edge of the cliff, where neat piles of
white chalk every few yards show the path even on the darkest night.
'Where's Cordery going?'said Una.

'Half-way to Newhaven,'said Dan. 'Then he'll meet the Newhaven
coastguard and turn back. He says if coastguards were done away with,
smuggling would start up at once.'

A voice on the beach under the cliff began to sing:

'The moon she shined on Telscombe Tye--
On Telscombe Tye at night it was--
She saw the smugglers riding by,
A very pretty sight it was!'

Feet scrabbled on the flinty path. A dark, thin-faced man in very neat
brown clothes and broad-toed shoes came up, followed by Puck.

'Three Dunkirk boats was standin' in!'

the man went on. 'Hssh!' said Puck. 'You'll shock these nice young
people.'

'Oh! Shall I? Mille pardons!' He shrugged his shoulders almost up to his
ears--spread his hands abroad, and jabbered in French. 'No comprenny?'
he said. 'I'll give it you in Low German.' And he went off in another
language, changing his voice and manner so completely that they hardly
knew him for the same person. But his dark beady-brown eyes still
twinkled merrily in his lean face, and the children felt that they did
not