II. AN OLD MAN'S TALE 



Daddy Pearn, Uncle Henry Oborne, and Granfie 

 Coombe were sitting In a row along one of the 

 seats on the sea-wall. While they talked of old 

 times they watched the new — that is to say, 

 Granfie Coombe and Uncle Henry watched, and 

 both reported what they saw to blind Daddy 

 Pearn, who sat quite still, his tall body bent like 

 a twisted bow, his chin resting on the handle of 

 his stick, and his long, pointed nose — from which 

 his face had, as It were, wasted away — so drooping 

 downwards that It seemed as If it would soon 

 lengthen out Into a second prop for his grey shaky 

 head. 



Close Inshore a fleet of racing dinghies of the 

 most modern design, brightly varnished, and with 

 white, silken sails, darted about on the water, 

 heeled over to every cat's-paw of wind, and spun 

 round like tops upon their centre-keels. Further 



lOI 



