He went off, looking very serious, with his net over one shoulder, the creel over the other, and after going to and fro patiently waist and often breast deep, he was successful in finding Cora Dean's reticule, with its purse and cut-glass bottle; and that night he went home amply rewarded, Cora having been very generous, and Mrs Dean saying several times over that she wouldn't have believed that a great rough man like that would have been so honest. "I declare, Betsy, he's just like a man in a play--the good man who finds the treasure and gives it up. Why, he might have kep' your puss, and my puss too, and nobody been a bit the wiser." That was all that was missing; but every day for a week, during the times that the tide was low, Fisherman Dick was busy, pushing his shrimping-net before him, and stopping every now and then to raise it, throw out the rubbish, and transfer the few shrimps he caught to his creel. It was not a good place for shrimping--it was too deep; but he kept on with his laborious task, wading out as far as ever he could go; and more than one of his fellow-mermen grinned at his empty creel. "Why don't you try the shallows, Dick?" said one of the blue-jerseyed fellows, who seemed to be trying to grow a hump on his back by leaning over the rail at the edge of the cliff. "'Cause I like to try the deeps," growled Fisherman Dick. "Ah, you want to make your fortune too quick, my lad; that's plain." Dick winked, and went home; and the next day he winked, and went out shrimping again, and caught very few, and went home again, put on his dry clothes, and said: "Give us the babby." Mrs Miggles gave him the "babby," and Dick took her and nursed her, smiling down at the little thing as she climbed up his chest, and tangled her little fingers in his great beard; while Mrs Miggles gave the few shrimps a pick over and a shake up before she consigned the hopping unfortunates to the boiling bath that should turn them from blackish grey to red. "What is it, old man?" said Mrs Miggles; "sperrits?" Fisherman Dick shook his head, and began to sing gruffly to the child about a "galliant" maiden who went to sea in search of her true "lovy-er along of a British crew." "What is it, then--lace?" Fisherman Dick shook his head again, and bellowed out the word "crew," the little child looking at him wonderingly, but not in the least alarmed. "I never did see such an oyster as you are, old man," said Mrs Miggles. "You're the closest chap in the place." "Ay!" said Fisherman Dick; and he went on with his song. He went shrimping off the end of the pier for the delectation of the mincing crowd of promenaders twice more. Lord Carboro' saw him; so did Major Rockley and Sir Harry Payne. Sir Matthew Bray was too busy dancing attendance upon Lady Drelincourt to pay any attention.