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At Sunwich Port, Complete, by W.W. Jacobs
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Title: At Sunwich Port, Complete Includes etexts #10871-10875
Author: W.W. Jacobs
Release Date: January 30, 2004 [EBook #10876]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AT SUNWICH PORT, COMPLETE ***
Produced by David Widger
AT SUNWICH PORT
BY
W. W. JACOBS
ILLUSTRATIONS
CHAPTER I
The ancient port of Sunwich was basking in the sunshine of a July afternoon. A rattle of cranes and winches sounded from the shipping in the harbour, but the town itself was half asleep. Somnolent shopkeepers in dim back parlours coyly veiled their faces in red handkerchiefs from the too ardent flies, while small boys left in charge noticed listlessly the slow passing of time as recorded by the church clock.
It is a fine church, and Sunwich is proud of it. The tall grey tower is a landmark at sea, but from the narrow streets of the little town itself it has a disquieting appearance of rising suddenly above the roofs huddled beneath it for the purpose of displaying a black-faced clock with gilt numerals whose mellow chimes have recorded the passing hours for many generations of Sunwich men.
Regardless of the hea