The pool of St Branok

"It is better not to rush into anything. Both you and Gervaise will feel differently about all this tomorrow. You can't be enemies. After all, you are working together."

"I'll do it. I'll promise."

I stood up.

"You must ... for Morwenna's sake."

He nodded and as I went out, he murmured: "Thank you, Angelet."

There was an uneasy truce between the two men. I wondered how long it could last. They scarcely addressed a word to each other which was not in connection with their work. One would be deep down in the earth digging, the other winding up the pails of earth to bring them to the surface.

I had ceased to be interested in the methods of working; my revulsion to the whole matter was growing daily. The frantic desire for gold I saw in the faces of those men repelled me; the greed and, after the first exultation at someone's find—simply because they thought the same thing could happen to them—the bitter envy. Lust for gold ... envy of others ... I could see why they were two of the most deadly sins.

I longed more than ever to be away from the place, to go home, to the excitement of London, the peace of Cador; they seemed like heavenly bliss to me.

I was growing listless. I supposed that was because of my condition. I thought constantly of the baby. How happy I could be if I were at home and my child could be brought up as I and all my family had been ... in comfortable surroundings. But to have a child here! How could I bring up a child in this squalor?

Everywhere I looked there was disaster. I was anxious about the situation with Justin, although I confess I had little sympathy with him. My thoughts were all for Morwenna who might discover in due course that her husband was a cheat. Poor Morwenna, she was less worldly than I. How would she take it?

I longed for something to happen, something which would take me away from this increasingly unpleasant situation in which I found myself.

My prayers were answered ... but not in the way I had expected.

Afterwards I learned a little about the methods which were used in the mines. When gold had first been discovered here in the early fifties, mining had been comparatively simple. That was when the presence of gold had been found to exist in the valleys ... the deposit formed in dried-up streams. It was near the surface of the earth. That was soon discovered and mined. But now they had to dig deeper down into the earth and that was why deep shafts had to be sunk. After one or two fatal accidents, it was realized that the clay, gravel and sand had to be shored up with wood.

When the earth which might contain gold was brought to the surface it was put into wheelbarrows and taken to water to be what they called puddled and washed by means of the cradle, to separate the soil from the gold.

It was a disheartening process; and again and again the results of their efforts were fruitless. Now and again there was the tiny speck ... nothing much in itself, but a reason for hope.

As the shaft grew deeper and deeper, naturally the danger increased. There were poisons from rotting vegetation. There was one young man in the town who was a permanent invalid. He had worked with his father and had been down below when there had been a slight fall of earth which meant it was some hours before they could dig him out. As a result he had a perpetual cough and it was obvious that he was slowly dying.

So it was very necessary that the timber which propped up the sides of the shaft was strong enough to hold back the earth.

It was early afternoon. I was on my way to the store. I knew Mrs. Bowles would want to know how little Pedrek was faring: she would listen to accounts of his actions, head on one side, lips pursued, sparkling with self-congratulatory pleasure. Her child, the one who might never have been brought into the world but for her skill.

Just as I was about to enter the shop, I heard the shouts. I stood listening. Mrs. Bowles came out of the shop and stood beside me, her eyes grave.

Men had left their work and were running to a certain spot.

"There's trouble," said Mrs. Bowles. "Arthur! Quick!"

Arthur joined us and we ran with the crowd. I felt a fearful apprehension for they were running in the direction of our shaft.

I was on the edge of the crowd.

I saw Gervaise. Men were crowding round him. I tried to push towards him.

I heard someone say: "Someone's down there."

"It's Cartwright. It must be ..." said another.

"Gervaise!" I called. "Gervaise."

He did not hear me.

"What's happening?" I said.

One of the men turned and looked at me. "Timber must have given way."

I came a little nearer. It was not easy to force my way through.

Gervaise said: "He's down there. I'm going to get him."

"You're a fool, man," said Bill Merrywether, one of the oldest and most experienced of the miners. "You'd never do it."

"I'm going," repeated Gervaise.

"Gervaise! Gervaise!" I cried.

He turned briefly and gave me a smile of tenderness.