Produced by Lionel Sear
I SAW THREE SHIPS AND OTHER WINTER TALES.
BY ARTHUR THOMAS QUILLER-COUCH ("Q").
To T. Wemyss Reid.
CONTENTS.
I SAW THREE SHIPS.
CHAPTER I. The First Ship.
CHAPTER II. The Second Ship.
CHAPTER III. The Stranger.
CHAPTER IV. Young Zeb fetches a Chest of Drawers.
CHAPTER V. The Stranger Dances in Young Zeb's Shoes.
CHAPTER VI. Siege is Lad to Ruby.
CHAPTER VII. The "Jolly Pilchards"
CHAPTER VIII. Young Zeb Sells His Soul.
CHAPTER IX. Young Zeb Wins His Soul Back.
CHAPTER X. The Third Ship.
THE HAUNTED DRAGOON.
A BLUE PANTOMIME.
I. How I Dined at the "Indian Queens".
II. What I Saw in the Mirror.
III. What I Saw in the Tarn.
IV. What I have Since Learnt
THE TWO HOUSEHOLDERS.
THE DISENCHANTMENT OF ELIZABETH.
I SAW THREE SHIPS.
CHAPTER I.
THE FIRST SHIP.
In those west-country parishes where but a few years back the feast of Christmas Eve was usually prolonged with cake and cider, "crowding," and "geese dancing," till the ancient carols ushered in the day, a certain languor not seldom pervaded the services of the Church a few hours later. Red eyes and heavy, young limbs hardly rested from the _Dashing White Sergeant_ and _Sir Roger_, throats husky from a plurality of causes--all these were recognised as proper to the season, and, in fact, of a piece with the holly on the communion rails.
On a dark and stormy Christmas morning as far back as the first decade of the century, this languor was neither more nor less apparent than usual inside the small parish church of Ruan Lanihale, although Christmas fell that year on a Sunday, and dancing should, by rights, have ceased at midnight. The building stands high above a bleak peninsula on the South Coast, and the congregation had struggled up with heads slanted sou'-west against the weather that drove up the Channel in a black fog. Now, having gained shelter, they quickly lost the glow of endeavour, and mixed in pleasing stupor the humming of the storm in the tower above, its intermittent onslaughts on the leadwork of the southern windows, and the voice of Parson Babbage lifted now and again from the chancel as if to correct the shambling pace of the choir in the west gallery.
Table of contents (by pages)
- 1: I Saw Three Ships and Other Winter Tales
- 2: The three men turned and contemplated Young Zeb Minards
- 3: And the others regarded the crowder
- 4: Parson Babbage held up his hand
- 5: He had clean forgotten the banns
- 6: Either the schooner must dash upon the Raney a reef
- 7: Sending the foremast over with a crash
- 8: At a nod from Jim young Zeb passed down a second line
- 9: A white gate opened on the courtlage
- 10: While Ruby walked round by the back door
- 11: For Miss Ruby had a knack of enforcing her wishes
- 12: She turned down the sands towards the bonfire
- 13: Young Zeb whipped the kerchief off Modesty's neck
- 14: And on the near side of the Raney a shapeless fragment
- 15: He sat astride of the dangling foremast
- 16: Zeb also could only be descried at intervals
- 17: Zeb tottered two steps forward and dropped in a swoon
- 18: Young zeb fetches a chest of drawers
- 19: The gulls be comin' back down the coombe
- 20: And Young Zeb himself standing up in it
- 21: Glancing up towards Sheba farm
- 22: So I stuck en 'pon my fist an' gave en a scat
- 23: Jim Lewarne answered A low lived chap
- 24: With a three handled mug of shenachrum
- 25: A subject entirely uninteresting to Zeb
- 26: Zeb knew best what hornpipe dancing really was
- 27: Zeb caught the light in the dancer's eyes
- 28: Spoke up Old Zeb out of the awed silence that followed
- 29: The parson stared and asked Young Zeb
- 30: Zeb would have waited and wanted
- 31: Ruby could neither move nor speak
- 32: For I played a risky stroke to get you
- 33: And the jolly pilchards themselves hang over your head
- 34: But 'tis incumbent on Lanihale
- 35: Is this but step a bit nigher
- 36: An' o' this I call Uncle Issy here to witness
- 37: With his eyes fixed on the mantelshelf
- 38: Nothin' but neck an' crop would do for Tresidder
- 39: And if Webber made any bones about it
- 40: As the hollibubber had guessed
- 41: Young Zeb came along with his head down
- 42: I say As the hollibubber still clung to his arm
- 43: So long as you'm dressed i' ten minnits
- 44: In this case Jessamy went at a round gallop
- 45: Here Zeb pulled out his watch once more
- 46: Suppose that I am really Zebedee Minards
- 47: Zeb stood before him dressed in the plum coloured suit
- 48: Bending a contemplative gaze on Uncle Issy
- 49: She was to wed Zebedee Minards to day
- 50: I saw dree ships come sailin' by
- 51: Within the archway bubbles a well
- 52: Forty valiant horsemen they were
- 53: Farmer Noy was in bed a pock marked
- 54: When by the door they found Madam Noy waiting
- 55: And sending Madam Noy on some pretence to the kitchen
- 56: With the sheriff and the chaplain reading in his book
- 57: And with that turned to the sheriff
- 58: Father saw that 'twas the dashing dragoon
- 59: Just now I was bound for Pitt's Scawens
- 60: There's beer I brew it myself
- 61: Fui the word was simple enough
- 62: Saying They lived at Tremenhuel
- 63: The eddies revolved more slowly
- 64: Knives and glasses gleamed at either end
- 65: Twice he looked back at Cicely
- 66: This time young Cardinnock's rapier was raised
- 67: It floated nearer and nearer over the bosom of the tarn
- 68: Clay has been discovered on the Tremenhuel Estate
- 69: That within five minutes were stuck full of gorse prickles
- 70: From the next gust it was absent
- 71: With eyes alert for any movement of the mastiff
- 72: I suppose to get possession of the poker
- 73: And produced a plate of biscuits
- 74: If you had only known Parkinson
- 75: I'll fetch a nightshirt one of my own
- 76: And that I knew the face his ex butler wore
- 77: The voice had hardened with it
- 78: With her eyes fastened on this latch
- 79: His black moustaches were beaded also
- 80: I reckoned you'd be a sergeant at least
- 81: It led in the end to the kettle
- 82: William showed no disposition to fret
- 83: Transom was already at her shoulder
- 84: Transom broke into an incredulous titter
- 85: On his way to market or to the Compton Arms
- 86: Hooper had spied him from her bedroom window