The following tale contains materials for a full-sized novel, but my
readers probably will not object to have them condensed into a single
modest volume.
The scene of a considerable portion of the story is laid on the coast of
Ireland, where the peasantry mostly speak the native Irish, and I have
therefore translated what my characters say into ordinary English rather
than into the generally received brogue, which would be, coming from
their lips, as inappropriate as Spanish or Dutch.
When English is spoken, it sounds somewhat high-flown, but is certainly
purer than the language of the same class in England. Thus, my hero
talks more like a well-educated young gentleman than a humble fisher
lad. If that is considered a defect, I hope that it may be redeemed by
the stirring incidents with which the tale abounds, and that old and
young may alike find as much amusement as they expect in its perusal.