had distorted his views on money, but not to this extent. He was going to refuse again, but Mr. Trencrom said: '
`Don't decide now, sir. Take a little time. If you think more of it, let me know. In the meanwhile I will see after your friend Daniel.'
'Thank you. Are you any further forward in tracing how the leakage in your arrangements arises?'
'Nothing substantial. So far we have been able to avoid serious trouble this year. But. am not happy about it. As you'll understand. When it began I thought 'twas someone outside our circle. Hard you know, bringing in goods, using forty or more men - not to let it get about. The village knows. The countryside. But last September, as you'll remember, we began to run a cargo in at Strand Cove. Most unusual to be able to. Usually the heavy swell. I issued instructions to our riders where to go only six hours before the run was due to begin. But we'd floated no more than a...dozen ankers ashore when Vercoe and his men sprang out of ambush. Six of our best men arrested. Only thanks to his shortage of men the rest escaped. It can't happen again. It mustn't, Captain Poldark. And the One and All has been gravely imperilled.'
`Well, only Vercoe knows who is at the bottom of it,' said Ross grimly. 'And Vercoe won't tell.'
Mr. Trencrom asphyxiated himself again, 'Perhaps even Vercoe - does not know. I sometimes w onder, Perhaps he gets messages under the door. 'Tis a dangerous game for the informer. There is very bad feeling about.'
At the moment Mr. Trencrom said this the informer was in the Hoblyns' cottage in Sawle,
Chapter Fiv e,
Dwight had had a busy week. As well as riding with Caroline, he had had a crop of sudden ailments to face; and it was from the last of these, a case of bilious fever in Sawle, that he was returning when he decided on the impulse of the moment to call in at the Hoblyns' cottage.
The evening was well on, and he found all the Hoblyns indoors and with them Charlie Kempthorne,, who had got Rosina in a corner and was making, up to her under the lowering gaze of Jacka her father. Not that Jacka particularly disapproved of Charlie, except for his age; it was rather that courting in any shape or form was one of the great number of things he didn't hold with. He couldn't complain that it was happening under his own nose, because he had refused Charlie permission to, take Rosina for a walk.
Dwight apologised for the intrusion, said he had come to see Rosina; Rosina said hastily her knee was quite better thank you; Dwight ignored this and said would she and Mrs. Hoblyn come into the next room. This left the two men alone, for Parthesia was in bed.
Charlie hadn't liked the interruption. He fancied he had been making some progress, and now it was all set back. But perhaps this could be turned to account. After a minute he scratched his short-cropped head and said:. `Rec kon Rosina's coming round t'ou r way of thinking, Jacka. "Twill soon be a question of naming the day like.'
It isn't to my way of thinking,' Jacka said, 'I'm thinkin' nothin' yet awhile.'
'But you're not saying me nay,' said Charlie. 'An' Rosina’ll see that for herself. She's always been a good obeying kind of girl-'
'She better be,' said J acka.
'An' 'tis plain to she that with 'er crooked pinbone she'll be l ucky to get a good steady man who's maybe a bit olderer than she but all the better for that. An' got a tidy nest egg, what's more. And adding on every day. You should mind that, Jacka Hoblyn.'
'I'll, mind what I've the wish to mind.'
'Let 'er go get forced put by some farmer's boy, an' what's the end to it? A 'ovel no betterer than a pigsty. I can give 'er a home, with cloam cups to drink out' of like she was a lady. And I'll tell ee another thing. That field that's to rent from Surgeon Choake's house. Corner of it runs' down nigh to the top of the lane, back o' my yard. Next year I thought to take it. 'Tis just what I d' need to-'
'I can't conceit where you get all your money,'
`Don't decide now, sir. Take a little time. If you think more of it, let me know. In the meanwhile I will see after your friend Daniel.'
'Thank you. Are you any further forward in tracing how the leakage in your arrangements arises?'
'Nothing substantial. So far we have been able to avoid serious trouble this year. But. am not happy about it. As you'll understand. When it began I thought 'twas someone outside our circle. Hard you know, bringing in goods, using forty or more men - not to let it get about. The village knows. The countryside. But last September, as you'll remember, we began to run a cargo in at Strand Cove. Most unusual to be able to. Usually the heavy swell. I issued instructions to our riders where to go only six hours before the run was due to begin. But we'd floated no more than a...dozen ankers ashore when Vercoe and his men sprang out of ambush. Six of our best men arrested. Only thanks to his shortage of men the rest escaped. It can't happen again. It mustn't, Captain Poldark. And the One and All has been gravely imperilled.'
`Well, only Vercoe knows who is at the bottom of it,' said Ross grimly. 'And Vercoe won't tell.'
Mr. Trencrom asphyxiated himself again, 'Perhaps even Vercoe - does not know. I sometimes w onder, Perhaps he gets messages under the door. 'Tis a dangerous game for the informer. There is very bad feeling about.'
At the moment Mr. Trencrom said this the informer was in the Hoblyns' cottage in Sawle,
Chapter Fiv e,
Dwight had had a busy week. As well as riding with Caroline, he had had a crop of sudden ailments to face; and it was from the last of these, a case of bilious fever in Sawle, that he was returning when he decided on the impulse of the moment to call in at the Hoblyns' cottage.
The evening was well on, and he found all the Hoblyns indoors and with them Charlie Kempthorne,, who had got Rosina in a corner and was making, up to her under the lowering gaze of Jacka her father. Not that Jacka particularly disapproved of Charlie, except for his age; it was rather that courting in any shape or form was one of the great number of things he didn't hold with. He couldn't complain that it was happening under his own nose, because he had refused Charlie permission to, take Rosina for a walk.
Dwight apologised for the intrusion, said he had come to see Rosina; Rosina said hastily her knee was quite better thank you; Dwight ignored this and said would she and Mrs. Hoblyn come into the next room. This left the two men alone, for Parthesia was in bed.
Charlie hadn't liked the interruption. He fancied he had been making some progress, and now it was all set back. But perhaps this could be turned to account. After a minute he scratched his short-cropped head and said:. `Rec kon Rosina's coming round t'ou r way of thinking, Jacka. "Twill soon be a question of naming the day like.'
It isn't to my way of thinking,' Jacka said, 'I'm thinkin' nothin' yet awhile.'
'But you're not saying me nay,' said Charlie. 'An' Rosina’ll see that for herself. She's always been a good obeying kind of girl-'
'She better be,' said J acka.
'An' 'tis plain to she that with 'er crooked pinbone she'll be l ucky to get a good steady man who's maybe a bit olderer than she but all the better for that. An' got a tidy nest egg, what's more. And adding on every day. You should mind that, Jacka Hoblyn.'
'I'll, mind what I've the wish to mind.'
'Let 'er go get forced put by some farmer's boy, an' what's the end to it? A 'ovel no betterer than a pigsty. I can give 'er a home, with cloam cups to drink out' of like she was a lady. And I'll tell ee another thing. That field that's to rent from Surgeon Choake's house. Corner of it runs' down nigh to the top of the lane, back o' my yard. Next year I thought to take it. 'Tis just what I d' need to-'
'I can't conceit where you get all your money,'
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