“All day long he was seeing the boats beating up the bay, so, to keep out of temptation, he was going up to the bedroom and pulling the blind and getting down on his knees and wrastling like mad. And something out of heaven was saying to him, 'It's the Lord's day, Jannie; they'll not get a ha'p'orth.' Neither did they; but when Jan's watch said twelve o'clock midnight the pair of us were going off like rockets. Well, we hadn't been ten minutes on the water before our grapplings had hould of that anchor.” There were loud cries of “Glory!” “Jan was shouting, 'The Lord has put us atop of it as straight as the lid of a taypot!'” Great cries of “Hallelujah!” “But when we came ashore we found Jan's watch was twenty minutes fast, and that was the end of the ould man's religion.” That day the word went round that both Pete and Kate had been converted. Their names were entered in Class, and they received their quarterly tickets. X. Next morning Kate set out to church for her churching. Her household duties had lost their interest by this time, and she left Nancy to cook the dinner. Pete had volunteered to take charge of the child. This he began to do by establishing himself with his pipe in an armchair by the cradle, and looking steadfastly down into it until the little one awoke. Then he rocked it, rummaged his memory for a nursery song to quiet it, and smoked and sang together. “A frog he would a-wooing go, _Kitty alone, Kitty alone_, (Puff, puff.) A wonderful likely sort of a beau, _Kitty alone and I!_” (_Puff, puff, puff_.) The sun was shining in at the doorway, and a man's shadow fell across the cradle-head. It was Philip. Pete put his mouth out into the form of an unspoken “Hush,” and Philip sat down in silence, while Pete went on with his smoke and his song. “But when her husband rat came home, _Kitty alone, Kitty alone_, Pray who's been here since I've been gone? _Kitty alone and I!_” _(Puff, Puff)_ Pete had got to the middle of the verse about “the worthy gentleman,” when the low whine in the cradle lengthened to a long breath and stopped. “Gone off at last, God bless it,” said Pete. “And how's yourself, Philip? And how goes the petition?” With his head on his hand, Philip was gazing absently into the fire, and he did not hear. “How goes the petition?” said Pete. “It was that I came to speak of,” said Philip. “Sorry to say it has had no effect but a bad one. It has only drawn attention to the fact that Manx fishermen pay no harbour dues.” “And right too,” said Pete. “The harbours are our fathers' harbours, and were freed to us forty years ago.” “Nevertheless,” said Philip, “the dues are to be demanded. The Governor has issued an order.” “Then we'll rise against it--every fisherman in the island,” said Pete. “And when they're making you Dempster, you'll back us up in the Tynwald Coort.” “Take care, Pete, take care,” said Philip.