to have a
sick cow-and I cured her - or she got, better of her own-and so I've been over
there once or twice and have details of the election."
"A sick cow?"
Demelza ; coloured a little." It was
nothing important. Verity, I don't want for you to mind if I act strange this
week end. It is only a track of my own I'm following, like, and maybe it will
lead somewhere and maybe it will lead to a dead end. But it is just the way I
feel about things, and I hope you'll understand. Are you really happy with
Andrew?"
I'm very happy, thank you thanks, to you, my
dear. But what is it you intend to do this week end?"
Maybe nothing at all. It is, only just a
warning. And have you met your stepchildren yet?"
Verity opened her new velvet bag, took out a
handkerchief, then drew the strings of the bag together again. She frowned at
the handkerchief.
No, not yet. I haven't met them yet: because James
is away still and but I'll tell you about it later ... I think we should take
our seats now."
They went out to the waiting coach, with its fresh
horses stirring restlessly in the traces and the postboys to hand them up. They
were the first in the vehicle, but a moment later three more entered, and
several climbed on top. It was to be a crowded journey.
The clash of election and assize had given the
soberer citizens of Bodmin some anxious thought: the coincidence was maladroit,
to say the least inns would be packed to suffocating one week and empty the
next; the solemn process of the law might be disconcerted by the no less
important but noisier processes of an election contest in which some bad blood
was already being shown. Everyone knew that there were two mayors in the town,
each representing a rival patron; but no one yet knew which would prevail
during this allimportant week.
The election of the members of Parliament, in
more cordial circumstances, might have been put through in a couple of hours
and no one the worse, since there were only thirty-six, electors, members of a
Common Council under the mayor. Unfortunately the dispute as to the mayoral
office raised questions about the validity of the Council, each mayor having
his own version of the electoral roll. Mr. Lawson, one mayor, had among his
common councillors his brother, his wife's brother, a cousin, a nephew, and
four sons, and this was a situation which Mr. Michell, the other mayor, passionately
challenged.
As to the law, the lists were crowded with cases
from the deferred spring assizes, the gaol crowded with felons, and the inns
crowded with litigants and witnesses. On the Friday Ross had his first
interview with his counsel, Mr. Jeffery Clymer, K. C., a burly man of forty
with a possessive nose and one of those chins which no razor's edge will
whiten. All considered, Ross thought it a good thing the barrister came in his
robes or the turnkey might have been reluctant to let him out again.
Mr. Clymer thought the case of the Crown v. R.
V. Poldark would not come on before Wednesday morning. In the meantime he
thumbed through Mr. Pearce's brief, shot questions at his client, tutted over
the answers and sniffed at a handkerchief soaked in vinegar. When he left he
said he would be round on Monday with a list of witnesses who had been subpoenaed
to appear and a draft of the line of defence he would advise his client to
pursue. The one tentatively sketched out by Mr. Pearce was quite useless - it
admitted altogether too much. When Ross said that was the defence Mr. Pearce
had prepared on his instructions, Clymer said fiddlesticks, it wasn't for a
client to issue instructions of that, sort; a client must be guided
by his legal advisers or what was the good of having them. You
couldn't plead not guilty and say in the next breath, I did it after all. It
was an infernal pity Captain Poldark had made such admissions and offered such
expressions of opinion to the examining justice. Asking for trouble, that's
what you'd call it. Whole purpose of the defence now must be to remove
sick cow-and I cured her - or she got, better of her own-and so I've been over
there once or twice and have details of the election."
"A sick cow?"
Demelza ; coloured a little." It was
nothing important. Verity, I don't want for you to mind if I act strange this
week end. It is only a track of my own I'm following, like, and maybe it will
lead somewhere and maybe it will lead to a dead end. But it is just the way I
feel about things, and I hope you'll understand. Are you really happy with
Andrew?"
I'm very happy, thank you thanks, to you, my
dear. But what is it you intend to do this week end?"
Maybe nothing at all. It is, only just a
warning. And have you met your stepchildren yet?"
Verity opened her new velvet bag, took out a
handkerchief, then drew the strings of the bag together again. She frowned at
the handkerchief.
No, not yet. I haven't met them yet: because James
is away still and but I'll tell you about it later ... I think we should take
our seats now."
They went out to the waiting coach, with its fresh
horses stirring restlessly in the traces and the postboys to hand them up. They
were the first in the vehicle, but a moment later three more entered, and
several climbed on top. It was to be a crowded journey.
The clash of election and assize had given the
soberer citizens of Bodmin some anxious thought: the coincidence was maladroit,
to say the least inns would be packed to suffocating one week and empty the
next; the solemn process of the law might be disconcerted by the no less
important but noisier processes of an election contest in which some bad blood
was already being shown. Everyone knew that there were two mayors in the town,
each representing a rival patron; but no one yet knew which would prevail
during this allimportant week.
The election of the members of Parliament, in
more cordial circumstances, might have been put through in a couple of hours
and no one the worse, since there were only thirty-six, electors, members of a
Common Council under the mayor. Unfortunately the dispute as to the mayoral
office raised questions about the validity of the Council, each mayor having
his own version of the electoral roll. Mr. Lawson, one mayor, had among his
common councillors his brother, his wife's brother, a cousin, a nephew, and
four sons, and this was a situation which Mr. Michell, the other mayor, passionately
challenged.
As to the law, the lists were crowded with cases
from the deferred spring assizes, the gaol crowded with felons, and the inns
crowded with litigants and witnesses. On the Friday Ross had his first
interview with his counsel, Mr. Jeffery Clymer, K. C., a burly man of forty
with a possessive nose and one of those chins which no razor's edge will
whiten. All considered, Ross thought it a good thing the barrister came in his
robes or the turnkey might have been reluctant to let him out again.
Mr. Clymer thought the case of the Crown v. R.
V. Poldark would not come on before Wednesday morning. In the meantime he
thumbed through Mr. Pearce's brief, shot questions at his client, tutted over
the answers and sniffed at a handkerchief soaked in vinegar. When he left he
said he would be round on Monday with a list of witnesses who had been subpoenaed
to appear and a draft of the line of defence he would advise his client to
pursue. The one tentatively sketched out by Mr. Pearce was quite useless - it
admitted altogether too much. When Ross said that was the defence Mr. Pearce
had prepared on his instructions, Clymer said fiddlesticks, it wasn't for a
client to issue instructions of that, sort; a client must be guided
by his legal advisers or what was the good of having them. You
couldn't plead not guilty and say in the next breath, I did it after all. It
was an infernal pity Captain Poldark had made such admissions and offered such
expressions of opinion to the examining justice. Asking for trouble, that's
what you'd call it. Whole purpose of the defence now must be to remove
Similar Books
