Produced by Matthias Grammel, sp1nd and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) THE MAID OF SKER. [Illustration: "_All for captain, crew and cargo, was a little helpless child._"] THE MAID OF SKER. BY R. D. BLACKMORE, AUTHOR OF 'LORNA DOONE,' 'CLARA VAUGHAN,' AND 'CRADOCK NOWELL.' ᾽Εῥῥε, θεοῑσίν τ᾽ ἐχθρἐ, κἀι ἀνθρωποισιν ἅπιστε, ψυχρῳ ὃς ἐν κὁλπῲ ποἱκίλον ἐιχες ὅφιν.] NEW EDITION, WITH A FRONTISPIECE. WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS EDINBURGH AND LONDON MDCCCXCIII CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I. FISHERMAN DAVY A FISH OUT OF WATER, 1 II. HUNGER DRIVES HIM A-FISHING, 3 III. THE FISH ARE AS HUNGRY AS HE IS, 7 IV. HE LANDS AN UNEXPECTED FISH, 12 V. A LITTLE ORPHAN MERMAID, 15 VI. FINDS A HOME OF SOME SORT, 21 VII. BOAT _VERSUS_ BARDIE, 27 VIII. CHILDREN WILL BE CHILDREN, 32 IX. SANDHILLS TURNED TO SAND-HOLES, 38 X. UNDER THE ROCK, 44 XI. A WRECKER WRECKED, 49 XII. HOW TO SELL FISH, 57 XIII. THE CORONER AND THE CORONET, 64 XIV. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE EVIDENCE, 70 XV. A VERDICT ON THE JURY, 76 XVI. TRUTH LIES SOMETIMES IN A WELL, 81 XVII. FOR A LITTLE CHANGE OF AIR, 89 XVIII. PUBLIC APPROBATION, 97 XIX. A CRAFT BEYOND THE LAW, 106 XX. CONFIDENTIAL INTERCOURSE, 112 XXI. CROSS-EXAMINATION, 119 XXII. ANOTHER DISAPPOINTMENT, 125 XXIII. INTO GOOD SOCIETY, 131 XXIV. SOUND INVESTMENTS, 137 XXV. A LONG GOOD-BYE, 145 XXVI. BRAUNTON BURROWS, 151 XXVII. A FINE SPECTACLE, 158 XXVIII. SOMETHING ABOUT HIM, 164 XXIX. A VISIT TO A PARSON, 171 XXX. ON DUTY, 182 XXXI. TWO LOVERS, 189 XXXII. AMONG THE SAVAGES, 194 XXXIII. IN A STATE OF NATURE, 203 XXXIV. WAITING AND LEARNING, 212 XXXV. THE POLITE FERRYMAN, 220