little orphan granddaughter, who now was his sole companion. His only
ostensible means of living were by shoemaking, and by fishing, the
produce of which he generally disposed of to passing ships, and, during
the earlier period of his sojourn there, by shooting occasionally. But
it was understood that he received a small regular contribution from
several of the pilots, certificated or otherwise, of the district, for
keeping a fire alight on his hearth during the dark autumn nights, and
so giving them, by the light from his two windows, something to steer by
when they arrived off the coast after nightfall. Whether the light was
shown for their benefit particularly, or whether it was not rather
intended for the guidance of smuggling vessels standing in under cover
of the night to land their cargoes, it was not their business to
inquire. Its friendly assistance was, at all events, not unacknowledged
by these latter, and very acceptable presents, in the shape of kegs of
spirits, bags of coffee, tobacco, meal, and so forth, would, from time
to time, come rolling into the old man's room, so that upon the whole,
he was well-to-do enough out there upon his rock.

Of late years he had fallen into feeble health, and found it not so easy
to row the long distance over to land. Even in his best days he had,
owing to an old injury to one of his legs, found some difficulty in
getting down to the boat; and now, therefore, he sat during the greater
part of the day over the hearth, in his woolen jacket and leather
breeches, with his indoor work. Now and then, when his granddaughter--a
child with a thick crop of hair falling about her ears, and a rough dog
constantly at her heels--would burst into the house with all the
freshness of the outside air blowing round her, as it were, and deliver
herself of her intelligence, he might be drawn, perhaps, to the window
to look out over the sea, and afterwards, like a growling bear disturbed
from its lair, even follow her with some difficulty out of the door with