James Matthew Barrie

The Little Minister James Matthew Barrie

On the east coast of Scotland, hidden, as if in a quarry, at the foot of cliffs that may one dayfall forward, is a village called Harvie. So has it shrunk since the day when I skulked from itthat I hear of a traveller's asking lately at one of its doors how far he was from a village; yetHarvie throve once and was celebrated even in distant Thrums for its fish. Most of ourweavers would have thought it as unnatural not to buy harvies in the square on the MuckleFriday, as to let Saturday night pass without laying in a sufficient stock of halfpennies to goround the family twice. Gavin was born in Harvie, but left it at such an early age that he could only recall thatchedhouses with nets drying on the roofs, and a sandy shore in which coarse grass grew. In thepicture he could not pick out the house of his birth, though he might have been able to go toit had he ever returned to the village. Soon he learned that his mother did not care to speakof Harvie, and perhaps he thought that she had forgotten it too, all save one scene to whichhis memory still guided him. When his mind wandered to Harvie, Gavin saw the door of hishome open and a fisherman enter, who scratched his head and then said, "Your man'sdrowned, missis." Gavin seemed to see many women crying, and his mother staring at themwith a face suddenly painted white, and next to hear a voice that was his own saying,"Never mind, mother; I'll be a man to you now, and I'll need breeks for the burial." ButAdam required no funeral, for his body lay deep in the sea.