Bella Poldark: A Novel of Cornwall 1818-1820 by Winston Graham

Author:Winston Graham
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

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Ross was in Truro for a meeting with his fellow partners in the Cornish Bank when he encountered his lawyer, Mr Barrington Burdett, who told him what had happened.

As Burdett explained, there were rumours and counter-rumours, which he supposed was inevitable when the story related to so influential a member of the town as Mr George Warleggan, but as far as he could tell from the accounts he had heard and sifted through, what had occurred was as follows.

On Tuesday – this was Thursday – Sir George had ridden out to Redruth to visit one of his mines, and when returning on the afternoon of that day along the Carnon Valley his horse had tripped and precipitated himself and his rider into a drang or deep water table bordering the cart track or former road. From there he was unable to climb out and, in view of the desolate area where the accident occurred, he was likely to have died of exposure or starved to death.

Were it not for fortunate chance.

‘Which was?’

‘When he did not return to Cardew Lady Harriet sent out a search party, which found nothing. However, shortly before midnight his horse found its way home, and in the saddlebag were some documents showing that he had been visiting South Wheal Tolgus. So a further search party was sent out – some say with Lady Harriet leading the way with her two boar hounds. Sir George was discovered about two a.m. on Wednesday morning, and brought home on a stretcher.’ Barrington Burdett coughed politely into his fist. ‘Here is where the rumour is hard to verify. Some say he is at death’s door, some that he is just badly bruised, with a sprained ankle, and suffering from exhaustion.’

This information Ross took with him to the Bank meeting, which nowadays was not held at Pearce’s Hotel but in an upper chamber of the Bank at the bottom of Lemon Street.

It was a long time, Ross thought, since that first meeting in 1799, these partners coming together, reforming the old banks and naming it as a new one, the Cornish Bank. It had prospered, being second only in capital to Warleggan’s, and first in the county’s general esteem. It had prospered and Ross prospered in a small way along with it.

He found they had all heard the news that he had just come by, and it was discussed at length before the actual meeting began. The gravity of George’s accident and the degree of his injuries was of economic importance, since George’s death, with no apparent heir, even his permanent invalidism, would have a serious effect on the stability of the Cornish Bank’s greatest rival in the county, might even precipitate a run on the funds. Of course it was pointed out by the elderly Mr John Rogers, and agreed, that the Warleggan amalgamation with the Devon & Cornwall Bank of Plymouth some years ago had given them a greater resilience and stability. And yet, and yet, Sir

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