, thick trousers--commonly called
'fear-noughts'--heavy top-boots, and a set of oilskins.

'I will try them on,' the lad said, and, retiring behind a screen,
changed his clothes. Then he looked round for a glass, anxious to
satisfy himself that he had the appearance of a North Sea fisherman. The
shopkeeper, unasked, assured him that he had, and, as there was no one
else there who could be consulted, the youth purchased the outfit.

'Do my other things up in a parcel,' he said to the shopkeeper. 'I will
keep these on.'

'But it's raining hard, sir,' the man exclaimed, not believing that his
customer wanted the clothes for real use.

'I don't mind that at all. I want a little of the newness rubbed off.
Now I come to think of it, I might just as well have had a second-hand
outfit.'

The shopkeeper rustled the brown paper, and pretended that he had not
heard what was said.

'May I send it home?' he asked when he had made a neat parcel of the
suit, cap, and boots which the boy had taken off.

'Yes. I will write the address.'

When the bill had been paid, the lad stepped out into the dirty Grimsby
street, and strode off in the direction of the docks.

The clothes _were_ meant for use after all. Charlie Page--for that was
the lad's name--was not going to a fancy-dress ball, but had purchased
his fisherman's outfit because, on the following morning, he was to
begin work as a deck hand on board the steam trawler, _Sparrow-hawk_.

How it came about that he was bound for the Dogger Bank needs
explanation. His father was a prosperous Lincolnshire man who had built
up a large export business, which was now about to be converted into a
limited liability company. Mr. Page was to become managing director of
the new company, but, unfortunately, he could find no suitable position
in the concern for his son Charlie. He determined, therefore, to
purchase, with a portion of the money which he would receive from the
company, a new business for his son.

He had heard that there were three Grimsby steam trawlers for sale, and
entered into correspondence with the respective owners. The price which
they asked for the trawlers was not high if they really earned what it
was asserted they did, but Mr. Page had a strong suspicion that the
amount of their profits was exaggerated.

'Shall I go to Grimsby and discover the truth?' Charlie said to his
father one evening rather suddenly. 'I might get a job on one of those
three trawlers and