olly, and treat with
him, under threats, to give up claim upon his sweetheart. To this end,
one night while Tummels was sleeping, he unmoored the _Fly_ tender--a
twenty-foot open boat carrying two sprit-sails, owned by him and Dan'l in
common, and used for all manner of odd jobs--worked her down to Old Lizard
Head single-handed, and crept up to the sunk crop of brandy.
Back-breaking work it was to heave the kegs on board; but in an hour
before midnight he had stowed the lot and was steering for St. Ives with a
stiffish breeze upon his port quarter. The weather couldn't have served
him better. By daylight the _Fly_ was rounding in for St. Ives Quay,
having sunk her crop again off the mouth of a handy cave on the town side
of Treryn Dinas; and Phoby Geen stepped ashore and ordered breakfast at
the George and Dragon before stepping up to talk with Squire Stephens.

In the meantime, Tummels, waking up at four in the morning, as his custom
was, and taking a look out of window, missed the _Fly_ from her moorings,
which caused him to scratch his head and think hard for ten minutes.
Then he washed and titivated himself and walked down to the Kiddlywink.

"Hullo, Tummels!" said Bessie Bussow, hearing his footstep on the pebbles,
and popping her old head out of window, nightcap and all. "What fetches
you abroad so early?"

"Dress yourself, that's a dear woman! Dress yourself and come down!"
Tummels waited in a sweat of impatience till the old woman opened her
front door.

"What's the matter with the man?" she asked. "Thee'rt lookin' like a
thing hurried in mind."

"I wants the loan of your horse and trap, missus," said Tummels.

"Sakes alive, is _that_ all? Why on the wide earth couldn't you ha' gone
fore to stable an' fetched 'em, without spoilin' my beauty-sleep?" asked
Bessie.

"No, missus. To be honest with 'ee that's not nearly all."
Tummels rubbed the back of his head. "Fact is, I'm off in s'arch of your
nephew Phoby Geen, that has taken the _Fly_ round to St. Ives, unless I be
greatly mistaken; and what's more, unless I be greatly mistaken, he means
to lay information against Dan'l."

"If you can prove that to me," says Bessie, "he's no nephew o' mine, and
out he goes from my will as soon as you bring back the trap, and I can
drive into Helston an' see Lawyer Walsh."

"Well, I'm uncommon glad you look at it in that reasonable light," says
Tummels; "for, the man being your own nephew, so to speak, I didn'