The Pool of St. Branok (39 page)

I met him as I was coming away.

“Angel,” he said softly. “It’s ages since I’ve seen you.”

“The last time was at your wedding.”

He nodded.

“I hope you’ll be happy.”

“You know I won’t be.”

I raised my eyebrows. “I’ve heard to the contrary.”

He looked at me with longing and although it should not have, it raised my spirits.

I tried to pass him but he put out a hand and caught my arm. “I’d like to talk to you, Angel,” he said.

“Well, talk. But is there anything you have to say to me?”

“I didn’t want it to work out this way.”

“I thought your way was to make things go the way you wanted them to.”

“This marriage …”

“You weren’t forced into it, were you?” I asked, I hoped ironically.

He was silent for a while, then he said: “You know I wanted you. I shall always want you.”

“Hardly what one expects to hear from the newly wedded husband.”

I was pleased with myself. I was doing well, acting flippantly when my heart was leaden, feigning indifference when I was more unhappy than I had ever been in my life before.

“You refused me.”

“How could I have done anything else? I am married and now you are … so that makes two of us. Why don’t we stop this senseless talk, and if that is all you have to say to me …”

“Wait a minute. I must tell you …”

“Let me say Congratulations. The whole town is talking of your discovery. You are the lucky one. That is what you came out for, isn’t it? You must feel gratified. You have achieved your purpose. I hear this discovery is one of the biggest ever.”

“Let me explain to you.”

“What is there to explain? You discovered there was gold on the land. That was why you were so eager to buy.”

“That’s true.”

“That day we talked … I remember your washing your hands in the creek. Something happened … I know it now. Was it then?”

He nodded. “I saw gold then … actually in the creek. If one could see it like that I knew there was a rich store.”

“You didn’t tell Mr. Morley.”

“He wouldn’t have done a thing. He hated the coming of the miners. He wanted to keep the land as it was.”

“It was his land.”

“If you had come to me … I begged you to … I would have abandoned all this …”

“I don’t believe you, Ben. You’re like the rest of them. You’re suffering from the same fever … gold fever. You would never have given up the search for it … especially when you had this evidence.”

“You remember when we sat here … You remember the day I discovered there was gold in the creek. It was after that day that I asked you to come home with me. I would have gone home with you then.”

“After you had helped yourself to the gold here.”

“Listen to me, Angel. I came out here to find it. I vowed I would not go home until I had made my fortune. But I would have gone … if you had come with me.”

“After you had bought this land … After you had unearthed its treasure.”

“Well, I should have been a fool not to.”

“Yes, you would have been a fool, and you would never be that, Ben. There was only one way you could get that land, wasn’t there? By marrying for it.”

“If you had come with me I should never have married Lizzie. I should never have got this land. I’ll be honest. I want the gold … but I wanted you more. I still do. I’d give it all up for you.”

I laughed at him. “I’m not a gullible girl any more, Ben. I understand your ways … and all those of the men here … or most of them. This is an obsession. It’s a fever that takes possession of you all. You can’t break away from it.”

“I tell you this,” he said. “When I have what is on this land …”

“The land you bought through your marriage?”

“I mean this land … I will go home and never want to see another piece of gold.”

“There is no need to tell me all this. I know you, Ben, now. I didn’t before. It is my fault for being so naive.”

“Angel …”

“Goodbye, Ben. There is nothing we have to say to each other now.”

“Angel,” he called as I turned away. “I must see you sometimes …”

“I don’t think you should.”

“You are afraid of your feelings for me.”

I turned on him angrily. “This is a small community. I should hate there to be gossip. It would hurt Lizzie. She is the innocent one in all this, isn’t she? The lamb delivered up for slaughter.”

“Lizzie is very happy now,” he said. “And I intend that she shall remain so.”

“Let us hope she never discovers she was married for a gold mine. Goodbye.”

“If you care to ride Foxey … she is always at your disposal.”

“Thank you,” I said coldly and turned away.

My emotions were in a turmoil.

I wondered how all this would end.

The weeks were passing. There were only five months to go before my child was born. I thought that already it was getting rather late to leave. Even in my present condition I should not fancy the jostling of the Cobb’s coach to Melbourne and the long sea voyage.

I consulted Mrs. Bowles.

“Another little baby!” she cried. “Well, that
is
good news. I’ll guarantee yours will be easy. I know just by looking at a girl. Now, Mrs. Cartwright, I knew as soon as I saw her that she was going to have a bit of trouble. But you … you’ll be right as rain.”

That optimism which I had noticed when One-Eye and Cassidy had had their find, settled on the township. One person’s luck must mean that others could share in it because if there were alluvial deposits so near the surface on neighboring land it must mean that there were others nearby. It was a reminder that this was indeed gold country.

Gervaise and Justin were working feverishly; at the end of each day the story was the same. Maybe tomorrow will be our lucky day.

“Trust Ben Lansdon,” said Justin enviously. “He hasn’t done too badly in the past and then he alights on this.”

“He had to marry Lizzie Morley to get it,” I said waspishly.

“Well, never mind how he got it,” replied Justin. “He knew the gold was there. That’s what everyone says. That’s why he took on Lizzie. I’ve heard it said that Morley made a bargain with him before he died. Take Lizzie and you get the land.”

“Do you believe that?” I asked.

“Well, it seems to have worked out that way, doesn’t it? He was desperately trying to buy the land … offering a fantastic price, so I understand. Then he gets it through marriage and, hey presto, Gold.”

“Well, I suppose it does seem rather obvious.”

“Ben won’t mind. As long as he achieves his object he’ll be ready to pay the price.”

There was more talk about gold than ever in the past. The men were constantly discussing veins and placers. Veins, Gervaise told me, were like other deposits of metals. In the alluvial deposits—the placers—the metal was found embedded in the soil usually in chambers worn away by water. The fact that it was actually discovered in the creek must show that it was very plentiful in that spot. That was what had aroused Ben’s excitement.

I had watched the men panning many times. There was a special method of doing it—a certain shaking and twisting and gyrating movement, and great care had to be taken to wash away the soil and lose none of the precious metal which might be there.

There were what they called cradles for treating larger quantities of soil; and there was another complicated one called a Tom.

Ben had all methods working. He paid some of the miners to help him and several of them were glad to earn money that way.

More than ever I wanted to get away. I felt there was something evil in this search for gold. I often thought of David Skelling who could not resist the temptation to steal gold which had been found by others, and how he had met his wretched end because of this.

Sometimes I went to the graveyards and looked at the rough stones which had been set up. James Morley. David Skelling. Two who had died since I had come. I shuddered to think that Morwenna or her baby might have been here … but for the grace of God, and the skill of Dr. Field … not forgetting Mrs. Bowles.

Then came the night when Justin was in our shack for a game of cards with Gervaise. More frequently they joined other players in the saloon but this was an evening when it was to be just a friendly game of poker between the two of them.

Before Pedrek’s birth when they had played in one of the shacks, Morwenna and I would be together. We usually went into the bedroom and talked while they played.

On this occasion I was alone as Morwenna was still sleeping at Golden Hall.

I left them and went into the bedroom. I wanted to get away. I found the scene sordid—not so much the shabby room with the candles guttering in their iron sticks, as the intent looks on the faces of the two. It sickened me. It was an outward sign of all that had brought us here away from our families, our homes and a gracious way of life.

Suddenly I heard a shout from the other side of the partition, the sound of a chair’s being pushed back, raised voices.

I ran into the next room. The two men were on their feet glaring at each other across the table.

“Cheat!” Gervaise was shouting. “I saw that. You can’t deny it.”

Justin’s face was very white. He said nothing. I saw the cards on the table. The ace and king of hearts were uppermost.

Gervaise said in a cold voice: “So this is it. This is the reason for your winnings. You’re a cheat, Cartwright. A card sharper …”

Justin stammered: “It was … a mistake …”

“A mistake to get caught.” Gervaise walked round the table. He pulled Justin up by his coat. He was several inches taller than Justin. He lifted him and shook him as though he were a dog. Then he threw him from him. Justin stumbled and went sprawling against the wall.

He stood up slowly. I thought he was going to run at Gervaise, who stood there waiting for him.

I put myself between them. “Stop it,” I cried. “Stop it. I won’t have fighting here.”

“He’s a cheat and a liar,” said Gervaise. I had never seen him cold like that before. He was a different man. Never had I seen him so furiously angry. But this was because I had never been present when the rules of this sacred matter had been violated.

I said: “Justin, I think it would be better if you left … now.”

“I shall never play with him again,” declared Gervaise. And I had never heard such coldness in his voice as I did then.

Justin did not speak. He was deflated. I thought: It’s true then. He cheats at cards. It is why he has the luck. Oh, poor Morwenna. Gervaise was a gambler but at least he was an honest one.

Justin slunk out. The door shut behind him.

“This,” I said, “is very upsetting.” I scooped up the cards on the table and put them into a drawer. “I don’t suppose you will want to play again in a hurry,” I said.

“Not with that card sharper. He will not play again in this place. Nobody will play with him when they know.”

Gervaise sat down and stared ahead of him. I sat opposite him. I said: “Shall you tell them?”

“What else can I do? How can I let him sit down at a table knowing what I do?”

“Perhaps he only did it once … in sudden temptation.”

He shook his head. “He was too practiced for that. I wondered some days ago. His luck was almost too good to be true. I think he has been doing it for years. He’s too good at it. It must be long practice. I wondered the other night when he kept coming up with the right cards. Then I watched. He’s clever. You have to be sharp. Well, tonight I was sharp.”

I was silent for a while. I thought: How I hate this gambling. How I hate this place. I want to leave and never see it again.

I said: “What will this mean? You will tell?”

“What else can I do?”

“What of Morwenna?”

“What has she to do with this?”

“She is his wife. Does this mean that it is the end of friendship between you and Justin?”

“You can’t expect me to be friends with a man like this, can you? I’ve caught him red-handed.”

“What shall we tell Morwenna?”

“She’ll know the truth, that’s all.”

“She can’t. She will be too upset.”

Gervaise stared at me incredulously.

“You don’t mean that I should let this pass! Go on as though nothing has happened because Morwenna will be upset?”

“She has not entirely recovered from the birth of Pedrek. Don’t you understand? It was a terrible ordeal. She nearly died. She mustn’t be upset. If she is, the baby will be upset. Remember it was touch and go. They both still need care.”

“I can’t let Justin Cartwright play with others, knowing what I know. At home he would be drummed out of any club. There would be a scandal if anyone was caught cheating as he has been.”

“For the sake of your precious game you would run the risk of harming Morwenna and her baby!”

Gervaise looked at me in bewilderment.

I said: “I know what we’ll do. I’ll go and see Justin. I’ll make him promise not to play for a while. And if he does promise, will you give me your word not to say anything about what happened tonight to anyone … just for a while?”

“You don’t understand, Angelet.”

“I do understand too well. This wretched gambling means more to you than anything. Everything can be thrust aside for it. Look at what it has brought us to. There are debts at home and debts here … and all because you have followed this urge … always you lose today and will win tomorrow. And now you are going to tell all those gamblers what Justin has done. Justin is Morwenna’s husband. She loves him. I will not have her upset. Gervaise, you have to promise me that you will say nothing of what happened tonight to anyone …”

“I cannot let him play … knowing this.”

“It’s against the gamblers’ ethics, I know. It is all right to risk money they haven’t got … to plunge deeper and deeper into debt … to bring misery to their families … but to break their silly rules is a mortal sin.”

Gervaise was fast becoming his old self. His choler had disappeared. He was tender and gentle. “You are so vehement, Angelet,” he said soothingly.

“I won’t have Morwenna upset. She could so easily be now. She is getting on so well living in comfort at Golden Hall. Lizzie is so good to her and loves to have her and the baby there. Gervaise, she must not know about this.”