Bonds of Earth, The by E.V. Thompson Page A

circumstances, but coping with an injured husband who she refuses to blame for any of her problems. She obviously loves him very much.’
    â€˜You still haven’t answered my question.’
    â€˜I’d be perfectly happy having the Bolithos living at Elworthy. There are bound to be a few problems having a family living there who know nothing of farming ways, but I believe Harriet is someone I can talk to, so we’d be able to sort things out.’
    â€˜Actually, Albert Bolitho was telling me that Harriet has worked on a farm and it’s always been her dream that the boys would do the same instead of taking up mining.’
    â€˜There you are then!’ Mabel spoke triumphantly, as though the idea of having the Bolithos come to live at Elworthy had been her idea in the first place. ‘And judging by the look of her youngest, moving to a proper house can’t come a moment too soon. He looks consumptive to me. Living in the way they are on the moor won’t be helping him at all.’
    â€˜Well, Elworthy should be moving in with Agnes this weekend, so if Harriet comes to see you as she’s promised, the family could move into the cottage almost immediately, which will be just as well for all of them. There’s cloud building up out to the west and I think there’s rain on the way … but this looks like Captain Pyne heading towards us from Roach Farm and the solicitor isn’t with him. I wonder how they got on with Agnes.’
    When they met the mine captain he explained the absence of the solicitor, saying, ‘We took his horse with us to Roach Farm and he’s returning to his office in Bodmin direct from there. We had an interesting meeting with Agnes Roach, most interesting. She is a very shrewd woman – as her family must have been before her. It seems it was her grandfather, or great-grandfather who obtained the mineral rights she holds. They are not only for the two farms but he somehow obtained the same rights, “in perpetuity”, for common land on the moor itself. I thought it was most unusual but Mrs Roach has the documents to prove her claim and Mr Foster confirmed they are indisputable. There is good news for you too. She tells me you have taken the tenancy of Elworthy Farm?’
    When Goran nodded confirmation, adding, ‘That’s right, Agnes offered me terms that made taking the tenancy easy for me.’
    â€˜I can believe it, she would seem to be a most generous woman – and is obviously very fond of you. She also has great confidence in your ability to make a success of Elworthy Farm and the agreement we reached should ensure that you will.’
    â€˜An agreement? You mean about the rights that are due if your mining takes you beneath Elworthy?’
    â€˜That and more. She named you as recipient of fifty per cent of the dues for Elworthy land but said you are also to receive twenty-five per cent of any dues in respect of the common land for which she owns the rights. If the lode we’ve come across carries on in the direction I think it’s heading, you’ll end up quite a wealthy young man. It’s likely to bring in more for you than farming, even in the best of years.’
    Aware of his mother’s delight at Pyne’s words, Goran said, ‘That really is very exciting, but I’ll still be working the farm as though my livelihood depends on it.’
    Captain Pyne nodded his agreement, ‘I wouldn’t expect a sensible man to do anything else, but now I had better be heading back to the mine. I plan to carry out some blasting but I want to check everything first. We seem to be getting more water than I expected into the workings. I need to make certain we’re not going to divert the course of an underground stream and so make things difficult for ourselves.’
    â€˜It would be easy to do,’ Goran commented, ‘There are a great many springs and streams around