over her sunny face. She had come too late for her purpose, but Danny took her hand and said he would see her back before going off home to bed. The little one prattled every inch of the way.
"Did you catch many herrings, Danny?"
"Nine barrels."
"Isn't it cruel to catch herrings?"
"Why cruel, Ruby veg?"
"I don't know. Don't the herrings want to stay in the water, Danny?"
"Lave them alone for that. You should see the shoals of them lying round the nets, watching the others—their mothers and sisters, as you might say—who've got their gills 'tangled. And when you haul the net up, away they go at a slant in millions and millions—just like lightning firing through the water. Och, 'deed now, they've got their feelings same as anybody else. Yes, yes, yes!"
"What a shame!"
"What's a shame, Ruby? What a sollum face, though."
"Why, to catch them."
Danny looked puzzled. He was obviously reasoning out a great problem.
"Well, woman, that's the mortal strange part of it. It does look cruel, sarten sure, but then the herrings themselves catch the sand-eels, and the cod catch the herrings, and the porpoises and grampuses catch the cod. Aw, that's the truth, little big-eyes. It's wonderful strange, but I suppose it's all nathur. You see, Ruby veg, we do the same ourselves."
