is wonted vivacity, but
he stopped suddenly. The corners of his mouth began to twitch, and,
laying his head on his mother's bosom, he sobbed aloud.

It did the widow good to comfort him. The fishermen had an instinctive
perception that their wisest course lay in taking no notice, and
continuing their low-voiced intercourse.

"Well, now," said Joe, "I have read in story-books of folk bein' as
lib'ral sometimes as to give a thousand pounds, but I never thought I'd
live to see 'em do it."

"Why, Joe, where have your eyes and ears bin?" said Luke Trevor. "Don't
you know it was a lib'ral gentleman, if not two, or p'raps three, as
lent the _Ensign_, our first gospel-ship, to the Mission?"

"That's true, Luke; I forgot that when I spoke, an' there's more
gospel-smacks comin', I'm told, presented in the same way by lib'ral
folk."

"It's my belief," said Luke, with emphasis, at the same time striking
his right knee with his hand, "it's my belief that afore long we'll have
a gospel-ship for every fleet on the North Sea."

"Right you are, boy," said Joe, "an' the sooner the better. Moreover,
I've heard say that there's a talk about sellin' baccy on board of the
mission-ships _cheaper_ than what they do aboard o' the copers. Did any
of 'ee hear o' that?"

"I heard somethin' about it," answered Luke, "but it's too good news to
be true. If they do, it'll drive the copers off the sea."

"Of course it will. That's just what they're a-goin' to do it for, I
suppose."

Reader, the mode of dealing with the abominable "coper" traffic referred
to by these men has at last happily been adopted, and the final blow has
been dealt by the simple expedient of underselling the floating
grog-shops in the article of tobacco. Very considerable trouble and
expense have to be incurred by the mission, however, for the tobacco has
to be fetched from a foreign port; but the result amply repays the cost
for the men naturally prefer paying only 1 shilling per pound on board
the mission-ship, to paying 1 shilling 6 pence on board the "coper."
The smacksman's advantages in this respect may be better understood when
we say that on shore he has to pay 4 shillings per pound for tobacco.
But his greatest advantage of all--that for which the plan has been
adopted--is his being kept away from the vessel where, while purchasing
tobacco, he is tempted to buy poisonous spirits. Of course the
anti-smoker is entitled to say "it were better that the sma