ked, trying to lower the mermaid to the
ground. She only clung the more tightly to him. He felt a sudden fear
and loathing of the creature with the scaly body, and fish's tail. Her
green eyes no longer fascinated him. He remembered all the tales he had
heard of the power of mermaids, and their wickedness, and grew more and
more terrified.

"Let me go!" he yelled again, "unwind your gashly great tail from about my
legs, and your skinny fingers from off my throat, or I'll--I'll kill you!"
and with the same he whipped his big clasp-knife from his pocket.

As the steel flashed before the mermaid's eyes she slipped from him and
swam slowly away, but as she went she sang, and the words floated back to
Lutey mournfully yet threateningly. "Farewell, farewell for nine long
years. Then, my love, I will come again. Mine, mine, for ever mine!"

Poor Lutey, greatly relieved to see her disappear beneath the waves,
turned and waded slowly back to land, but so shaken and upset was he by
all that had happened, that it was almost more than he could accomplish.
On reaching the shore he just managed to scramble to the shed where he
kept many of the treasures he had smuggled from time to time, but having
reached it he dropped down in a deep, overpowering sleep.

Poor old Ann Betty Lutey was in a dreadful state of mind when supper-time
came and went and her husband had not returned. He had never missed it
before. All through the night she watched anxiously for him, but when
breakfast-time came, and still there was no sign of him, she could not
rest at home another minute, and started right away in search of him.

She did not have to search far, though. Outside the door of the shed she
found the dog lying sleeping, and as the dog was seldom seen far from his
master, she thought she would search the shed first,--and there, of
course, she found her husband.

He was still sound asleep. Ann Betty, vexed at once at having been
frightened for nothing, shook him none too gently. "Here, Lutey, get up
to once, do you hear!" she cried crossly. "Why ever didn't 'ee come in to
supper,--such a beautiful bit of roast as I'd got, too! Where've 'ee
been? What 'ave 'ee been doing? What 'ave 'ee been sleeping here for?"

Lutey raised himself into a sitting position. "Who are you?" he shouted.
"Are you the beautiful maiden come for me? Are you Morwenna?"

"Whatever are you talking about? You haven't called me beautiful for the
last thir