“Jenifer Hosken has a chance.  He’s fair-skinned hissel’, an’ Lizzie’s too near his own colour.  Black’s mate is white, as they say.”

“There’s Sue Tregraine.  She’ll have more money than either, when her father dies.”

“What, marry one o’ Ruan!” the speaker tittered despitefully.

“Why not?”

The only answer was a shrug.  Ruan is a small town that faces Troy across the diminutive harbour, or perhaps I should say that Troy looks down upon it at this slight distance.  When a Trojan speaks of it he says, “Across the water,” with as much implied contempt as though he meant Botany Bay.  There is no cogent reason for this, except that the poorer class at Ruan earns its livelihood by fishing.  In the eyes of its neighbours the shadow of this lonely calling is cast upwards upon its wealthier inhabitants.  Troy depends on commerce, and in the days of which I write employed these wealthier men of Ruan to build ships for it.  Further it did not condescend.  Intermarriage between the towns was almost unheard of, and even now it is rare.  Yet they are connected by a penny ferry.

“Her father’s a shipbuilder,” urged Sue Tregraine’s supporter.

“He might so well keep crab pots, for all the chance she’ll have.”

Now there was a Ruan girl standing just outside this group, and she heard what was said.  Her name was Nance Trewartha and her father was a fisherman, who did in fact keep crab-pots.  Moreover, she was his only child, and helped him at his trade.  She could handle a boat as well as a man, she knew every sea mark up and down the coast for thirty miles, she could cut up bait, and her hands were horny with handling ropes from her childhood.  But on Sundays she wore gloves, and came across the ferry to chapel, and was as wise as any of her sex.  She had known before coming out of her pew that the young minister had a well shaped back to his head and a gold ring on his little finger with somebody’s hair in the collet, under a crystal.  She was dark, straight, and lissom of figure, with ripe lips and eyes as black as sloes, and she hoped that the hair in the minister’s ring was his mother’s.  She was well aware of her social inferiority; but—­the truth may be told—­she chose to forget it that morning, and to wonder what this young man would be like as a husband.  She had looked up into his face during sermon time, devouring his boyish features, noticing his refined accent, marking every gesture.  Certainly he was comely and desirable.  As he walked down the hill by Deacon Snowden’s side, she was perfectly conscious of the longing in her heart, but prepared to put a stop to it, and go home to dinner as soon as he had turned the corner and passed out of sight.  Then came that unhappy remark about the crab-pots.  She bit her lip for a moment, turned, and walked slowly off towards the ferry, full of thought.

Three weeks after, the Rev. Samuel Bax received his call.