loose suit of tweeds.

Arthur coloured and tightened his lips, walking off with his father, too
much hurt to say more to his brother, whom he left talking to Will.

"There," said the latter, impaling the last bit of squid on a hook and
then laying it in its place, "that's ready. Now you'd better do as I
do: go home and get some tea and then come back."

"But it's too soon," replied Dick, "I can't get tea yet--"

"Come home and have some with me then," said Will.

"All right!" said Dick. "I say, does he live with you? Is he your
brother?"

"Hor--hor--hor--hor!" laughed Josh. "That is a good one. Me his
brother! Hor--hor--hor!"

"Well, I didn't know," said Dick colouring. "I only thought he might
be, you know."

"Oh, no, youngster! I ain't no brother o' him," said Josh, shaking his
head. "There, don't you mind," he continued, clapping his strong hand
on the boy's shoulder, and then catching hold of him with his short
deformed limb, an act that looked so startling and strange that the boy
leaped back and stared at him.

Josh's deformity was his weakest as well as his strongest point, and he
looked reproachfully, half angrily, at the boy and then turned away.

With the quick instinct of a frank, generous nature, Dick saw the wound
he had inflicted upon the rough fisherman, and glanced first at Will,
who was also touched on his companion's account. Then stepping quickly
up to Josh he touched him on the arm and held out his hand.

"I--I beg your pardon," he said. "I didn't know. I was surprised. I'm
very sorry--"

Josh's weather-tanned face lit up directly with a pleasant smile, and
grasping the boy's hand he wrung it so hard that Dick had hard work to
keep from wincing.

"It's all right, my lad," he said. "Of course you didn't know! It be
gashly ugly, bean't it? Fell off the cliff when I was quite a babby,
you know, and soft. Fifty foot. Yonder, you know;" and he pointed to
the steep cliff and its thin iron railing at the end of the village.

"How shocking!" said Dick.

"Oh! I dunno," said Josh cheerily. "I was such a little un, soft as
one of our bladder buoys, you see, and I never knowed anything about it.
Bent it like, and stopped it from growing; but thank the Lord, it grew
strong, and I never mind. There, you be off along o' Will there and get
your tea, and we'll have such a night's fishing, see if we don't!"

CHAPTER TEN.

UNCLE ABRAM ALWAYS HAS A BIT OF SALT PROVISION IN