

The sailors sang strange songs as they pulled upon the ropes and I learned these songs by heart. I used to go down and watch the sailors unloading the ships upon the river-wall. Sailing-ships came up this river from the sea and anchored near the bridge. A river ran through the middle of it and over this river there was a very old stone bridge, called Kingsbridge, which led you from the market-place on one side to the churchyard on the other. At that time Puddleby was only quite a small town.

My name was Tommy Stubbins, son of Jacob Stubbins, the cobbler of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh and I was nine and a half years old.

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