ppeared round the Little Orme, and then he took a
few turns on the sands, in and out amid the castles. His heart was
beating in a most disconcerting manner. After a time he resumed his
perusal of the sea. And the lifeboat reappeared and grew larger and
larger, and finally arrived at the spot from which it had departed, only
higher up the beach because the tide was rising. And Simeon debarked
first, and there was a small blue and red model of a lifeboat in his
hand, which he shook to a sound of coins.

"_For_ the Lifeboat Fund! _For_ the Lifeboat Fund!" he gravely
intoned.

Every debarking passenger dropped a coin into the slit.

In five minutes the boat was refilled, and Simeon had put the value of
fourteen more half-crowns into his pocket.

The lips of the young man on the beach moved, and he murmured:

"That makes over three pounds! Well, I'm dashed!"

At the hour appointed for dinner he went to St Asaph's Road, but could
eat nothing. He could only keep repeating very softly to himself, "Well,
I'm dashed!"

Throughout the afternoon the competition for places in the lifeboat grew
keener and more dangerous. Denry's craft was by no means the sole craft
engaged in carrying people to see the wreck. There were dozens of boats
in the business, which had suddenly sprung up that morning, the sea
being then fairly inoffensive for the first time since the height of the
storm. But the other boats simply took what the lifeboat left. The
guaranteed identity of the lifeboat, and of the Norsemen (who replied to
questions in gibberish), and of Simeon himself; the sou'westers, the
life-belts and the lines; even the collection for the Lifeboat Fund at
the close of the voyage: all these matters resolved themselves into a
fascination which Llandudno could not resist.

And in regard to the collection, a remarkable crisis arose. The model of
a lifeboat became full, gorged to the slot. And the Local Secretary of
the Fund had the key. The model was despatched to him by special
messenger to open and to empty, and in the meantime Simeon used his
sou'-wester as a collecting-box. This contretemps was impressive. At
night Denry received twelve pounds odd at the hands of Simeon Edwards.
He showered the odd in largesse on his heroic crew, who had also
received many tips. By the evening post the fatal ring arrived from
Ruth, as he anticipated. He was just about to throw it into the sea,
when he thought better of the idea, and stuck it in his