midnight
He was the sole owner of a herring-boat and a fishing-cobble ; he was also the proprietor of the house in which he lived , and was reputed to be worth money -- nor was it any secret that he had obtained his property by other means than those of the haddock hand-line and the herring-net . Harry , at the period we take up his history , was between forty and fifty years of age . He was a tall thin man , with long sandy hair falling over his shoulders , and the colour of his countenance was nearly as rosy as the brandy in which he dealt . But , if there was the secrecy of midnight in his calling , his heart and his hand were open as mid-day . It is too true that money always begets the outward show of respect for him who possesses it , though in conduct he may be a tyrant , and in capacity a fool ; but Harry Teasdale was respected , not because he was reputed to be rich , but because of the boldness and warmness of his heart , the readiness of his hand , and the clearness of his head . He was the king of fishermen , and the prince of smugglers , from Holy Island to Hartlepool . Nevertheless , there was nothing unusual in his appearance .