t when the weather was wild and wet, and the salt marshes lay under
water, that meant little food and much discomfort, frequent quarrels,
and much bitterness to the fisherman's family.

This autumn the weather was more than usually boisterous; and long
before the usual time the old boat had to be drawn up on to the bank,
for fear the waves should dash it to pieces. The fisherman sometimes
went to Fellness, on the chance of picking up a stray job, for it was
only the state of his boat, and his anxiety to keep it together as long
as possible, that prevented him braving the perils of the sea; and so he
sometimes got the loan of another boat, or helped another fisherman with
his; and then, rough though they might be, these fisher-folk were kind
and helpful to each other, and if they could not afford to pay money for
a job, they could pay for it in bread or flour, or potatoes, perhaps,
and so they would generally find Coomber something to do, that they
might help him, without hurting him.

But there was little work that could be done in such bad weather as
this, and he knew it, and his proud, independent spirit could not brook
to accept even a mouthful of bread that he had not earned; and so there
were many weary days spent at home, or sauntering round the coast with
his gun, on the look-out for a stray wild fowl. Tiny often went to bed
hungry, and woke up feeling faint and sick; and although she never
forgot to say her prayers, she could not help thinking sometimes that
God must have forgotten her. She read her paper to Dick, and he and Tom
had both learned to spell out some of the words, and she read to herself
again and again the Divine assurance, "God is good to all: He loves both
boys and girls;" but then, as Dick said sometimes, Bermuda Point was
such a long way from anywhere, and He might forget there were any boys
and girls living there.

When she was very hungry, and more than usually depressed, Tiny thought
Dick must be right, but even then she would not admit such a thought to
others. When she saw Mrs. Coomber in tears, because she had no food to
prepare for her hungry children, she would steal up to her, pass her
little arm round the poor woman's neck, and whisper, "God is good; He'll
take care of us, mammy; He'll send us some supper, if He can't send us
any dinner;" and the child's hopeful words often proved a true prophecy,
for sometimes when Coomber had been out all day without finding anything
that could be