schooner, and, Drake like, does not feel he should leave until the keel is laid.'
'She's a Catholic, I suppose?' said Caroline suddenly.
'Amadora? Must be.' Ross accepted another slice of strawberry pie. 'A pity.'
‘I thought you were rather in favour of Catholics?'
'I'm not in favour of Catholicism. I'm in favour of people being able to worship how they will, without penalty -which they can't do yet in England.'
'Nor the Wesleyans.'
'Nor the Wesleyans indeed. What I dislike most is religious exclusivism, from whatever direction it comes.'
'The two sects we've just mentioned are notably among the most exclusive. The Wesleyans believe that only the saved will see Christ. The Catholics don't believe we are members of Christ's church at all!'
‘I know. It's a bigoted world.'
'From which we're not free either,' said Dwight. 'Those anti-Catholic meetings all over the country last year! After all, for the last two and a half centuries most of our own countrymen have been taught that Rome is the Scarlet Woman, etcetera.'
'Surely,' said Demelza, 'if two people love each other, that will be most important. Where there is real love, there can be give and take.'
Ross said: 'Well, it depends on the strength of the love and the strength of the religious conviction. Doesn't it? In two or three years when children start coming and the love is not quite so warm ...'
'Ross, no doubt, judges from his own experience,' said Demelza, scowling at him.
‘I t's because my own experience is so rare that I cannot judge from it,' said Ross. 'Look around you. Present company naturally excepted.'
Caroline said: 'But does anyone know yet whether the young couple intend to settle here?'
'Geoffrey Charles is returning to join his regiment in a couple of months. She will go back with him. But how they will feel when the war is over ...'
Demelza said: 'How they feel when the war is over will much depend upon how the y feel at the end of this visit. And how she feels will much influence how he feels. Isn't that so ? And how she feels, who knows? may be just a small matter influenced by how nice we are to her.'
Caroline patted her hand. 'Put very well, my dear. I shall go and wait on her tomorrow and offer her ... what can I offer her that she hasn't already got? "
'Can you speak Spanish?'
'Enough to know that the Italian for butter means donkey in Spanish. No more.'
' Apparently Harriet Warleggan can. They struck up asharp friendship that cannot be welcome to either of their husbands.'
The meal came to its end with nuts and grapes and raisins - and of course port. Demelza sipped her port and stretched her legs. Still lacking a little of the vitality she had had before baby Henry was conceived, she was nevertheless zestful enough for most occasions; and of all the meals of her life these were the ones she enjoyed most. (Saving the noisy family meals, which were a t hing apart.) To sup at Killewar ren with her oldest and dearest friends, in Ross's company, was better even than when they came to her. There was no niggling anxiety as to whether the veal would be properly done or whether the poached peaches would be served half cold. Caroline always seemed able to employ better and more efficient servants. Demelza admitted that she was not a very good manager herself. She had never quite got into the way of being angry with servants if they didn't do what they were told. (Ross could do if in a second; but it was not Ross's business.) This was the luxury of enjoying an excellent meal and wines without a thought to the kitchen.
'Please?' she said, having not heard a question.
'Dreaming again,' said Caroline, I was telling Ross that I might be losing Dwight sometime soon.'
'Very unlikely,' said Dwight. 'Caroline is romancing.'
'Far from it! I know from his manner.'
Dwight said: 'What Caroline is trying to tell you in her roundabout way is that I have recently received a letter from Sir Humphry Davy. You remember him, Ross: you met him at
'She's a Catholic, I suppose?' said Caroline suddenly.
'Amadora? Must be.' Ross accepted another slice of strawberry pie. 'A pity.'
‘I thought you were rather in favour of Catholics?'
'I'm not in favour of Catholicism. I'm in favour of people being able to worship how they will, without penalty -which they can't do yet in England.'
'Nor the Wesleyans.'
'Nor the Wesleyans indeed. What I dislike most is religious exclusivism, from whatever direction it comes.'
'The two sects we've just mentioned are notably among the most exclusive. The Wesleyans believe that only the saved will see Christ. The Catholics don't believe we are members of Christ's church at all!'
‘I know. It's a bigoted world.'
'From which we're not free either,' said Dwight. 'Those anti-Catholic meetings all over the country last year! After all, for the last two and a half centuries most of our own countrymen have been taught that Rome is the Scarlet Woman, etcetera.'
'Surely,' said Demelza, 'if two people love each other, that will be most important. Where there is real love, there can be give and take.'
Ross said: 'Well, it depends on the strength of the love and the strength of the religious conviction. Doesn't it? In two or three years when children start coming and the love is not quite so warm ...'
'Ross, no doubt, judges from his own experience,' said Demelza, scowling at him.
‘I t's because my own experience is so rare that I cannot judge from it,' said Ross. 'Look around you. Present company naturally excepted.'
Caroline said: 'But does anyone know yet whether the young couple intend to settle here?'
'Geoffrey Charles is returning to join his regiment in a couple of months. She will go back with him. But how they will feel when the war is over ...'
Demelza said: 'How they feel when the war is over will much depend upon how the y feel at the end of this visit. And how she feels will much influence how he feels. Isn't that so ? And how she feels, who knows? may be just a small matter influenced by how nice we are to her.'
Caroline patted her hand. 'Put very well, my dear. I shall go and wait on her tomorrow and offer her ... what can I offer her that she hasn't already got? "
'Can you speak Spanish?'
'Enough to know that the Italian for butter means donkey in Spanish. No more.'
' Apparently Harriet Warleggan can. They struck up asharp friendship that cannot be welcome to either of their husbands.'
The meal came to its end with nuts and grapes and raisins - and of course port. Demelza sipped her port and stretched her legs. Still lacking a little of the vitality she had had before baby Henry was conceived, she was nevertheless zestful enough for most occasions; and of all the meals of her life these were the ones she enjoyed most. (Saving the noisy family meals, which were a t hing apart.) To sup at Killewar ren with her oldest and dearest friends, in Ross's company, was better even than when they came to her. There was no niggling anxiety as to whether the veal would be properly done or whether the poached peaches would be served half cold. Caroline always seemed able to employ better and more efficient servants. Demelza admitted that she was not a very good manager herself. She had never quite got into the way of being angry with servants if they didn't do what they were told. (Ross could do if in a second; but it was not Ross's business.) This was the luxury of enjoying an excellent meal and wines without a thought to the kitchen.
'Please?' she said, having not heard a question.
'Dreaming again,' said Caroline, I was telling Ross that I might be losing Dwight sometime soon.'
'Very unlikely,' said Dwight. 'Caroline is romancing.'
'Far from it! I know from his manner.'
Dwight said: 'What Caroline is trying to tell you in her roundabout way is that I have recently received a letter from Sir Humphry Davy. You remember him, Ross: you met him at
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