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George Goodfellow of Falmouth is a good fellow, who will turn his hand to anything to make a living, although this living not sufficient to enable him to marry or even to travel to Plymouth by coach each weekend. His fiancée works in a shop in Plymouth. Goodfellow spends his weekends there, walking to and fro, something unheard of today. People in those days walked considerable distances, Q himself not excepted.
Goodfellow helps Captain Coffin build a whaleboat, Coffin having the means to pay him from licit or illicit sources. But Goodfellow is unable to persuade Coffin to leave the Plume and Feathers on the evening of the arrival in Falmouth of a boat-load of released POWs, one of whom is Aaron Glass. Goodfellow contributes to the narrative by removing the corner cupboard, containing Coffin's log, thus confusing Harry Brooks and Aaron Glass, but preserving the document for investigation at Lydia Belcher's house in Chapter XIX. Goodfellow also effects the capture of Glass by boring holes in the gunwale of his boat.
Goodfellow is an important character while not being a central one. Curiously, he seems to change little with circumstances, which is the case with some people. He is what he is and remains so.