THE KISS


By half-past five o'clock, Mr. Tregenza's black lugger was off again in a
gray dawn all tangled with gold on the eastern horizon.

His mother had given Tom an early breakfast at half-past four, and the
youngster, agape and dim-eyed at first, speedily brightened up, for he had
a willing listener, in the candle-light and poured a tale of moving
incidents into Thomasin's proud but uneasy mind.

"Them Pritchards sez as they'll make a busker [Footnote: _Busker_--A
rare good fisherman.] of me, 'cause it blawed a bit issterday marnin', but
'twas all wan to me; an' you abbun no call to fret yourself, nohow, mother,
'cause faither's 'lowed to be the best sailor in the fleet an' theer ban't
a better foul-weather boat sails from Newlyn than ourn."

He chattered on, larding his discourse with new words picked up aboard, and
presently rolled off to get things shipshape just as his father came down
to breakfast.

When the men had gone, little remained to be done that day, and, by
half-past seven, about which hour Mrs. Tregenza went into the village that
she might whine with a widow who had two boys in the fleet, Joan found
herself free until the afternoon. She determined therefore to reach Gorse
Point before the artist should arrive there, and set off accordingly.

Early though she was, she had but a short time to wait, for Barron appeared
with his big canvas by nine o'clock. She thought he showed more pleasure