leaning towards the lower church, had not taken his religion lightly and he did not consider jaunts to the seaside appropriate for even his youngest children. As for the eldest daughter, she was too busy helping her mother about the h ouse, with the other children or with social, and charitable works, to have time for riding for pleasure or visiting friends. Four times in her early teens she had gone with her father when he had preached at sea-coast parishes, but on these occasions she had had little chance to enjoy or admire the coast.
Here it was different. A girl as serious in some ways as her father, with religious ideals and a strong sense of duty, she had come to this appointment sorrowing as much at the parting as her sorrowing family but resolved to be everything a worthy governess should. However, in spite of the loss of prestige in her new position, she found she was beginning to enjoy herself much more than in her old life. Geoffrey Charles was wayward and intelligent, but it was no harder controlling or teaching him than it had been her own sisters; Mr Warleggan, if a little frightening, was gracious enough in his impersonal way; Cousin Elizabeth had been kindness itself and went out of her way to alleviate any feelings of a discomfort or shame she might feel in her new position; and there were servants all the time to do the really menial work. Furthermore, not for pleasure but in the interests of her duty, she could take Geoffrey Charles any number of fascinating trips into the countryside, on the cliffs, along the beaches. And she had a pony always available.
They were li ttle more than a mile from the sea at Trenwith, but where Trenwith land abutted on the sea it was all sharp raw cliffs with one or two seaweedy coves only accessible by narrow and dangerous paths. A mile to the left (if you, were looking out to sea) the land dropped towards Trevaunance Cove with the Village of St Ann's beyond, A mile or a little more to the right was Sawle village with its shingly inlet which rose again in a short sharp cliff before reaching the property of Captain Ross Poldark. There was fine sand at Trevaunance and at Sawle when the tide went out; there were tantalizing glimpses of untouched golden sand in mainly inaccessible points; but by far the best sand and the best beach anywhere was Hendrawna, just beyond Captain Ross Poldark's land and almost into Treneglos property; four miles odd if you went direct, five or six if you skirted round.
Morwenna had not yet learned the causes of the estrangement between the two houses but she knew of its existence. That is to say, the Ross Poldarks were seldom mentioned; and on the one occasion when Geoffrey Charles had brought up the name in company he was effectively squashed. She could not tell quite where the point of enmity existed, what, injury, real or fancied, had been committed and on whom and how. When the subject was approached, George was suddenly dangerous, touchy, given to sarcasm; but it w as not directed, at all against Elizabeth. She was equall y touchy, cold; they saw eye to eye in their dislike. It was a strange situation to Morwenna Who, whatever the shortcomings of her home life, had always been on terms of immediate and loving friendship with every cousin she ever met. Clearly the Ross Poldarks had done something unforgivable: It was difficult to imagine what. Naturally she was curious; but she shied away from asking the one person likely to tell her. She felt no repugnance for Aunt Agatha; too often she had been in the company of very old and dying people; but she could not bring herself to shout the questions into the whiskery ear; it was a confidence to be sought in a murmur; not shouted like a naval broadside.
No actual prohibition from Elizabeth that their walks were not to come near Nampara land, but Morwenna felt she would be erring in the spirit of her instructions if she took Geoffrey Charles there; so whe never they went on Hendrawna it was by making
Here it was different. A girl as serious in some ways as her father, with religious ideals and a strong sense of duty, she had come to this appointment sorrowing as much at the parting as her sorrowing family but resolved to be everything a worthy governess should. However, in spite of the loss of prestige in her new position, she found she was beginning to enjoy herself much more than in her old life. Geoffrey Charles was wayward and intelligent, but it was no harder controlling or teaching him than it had been her own sisters; Mr Warleggan, if a little frightening, was gracious enough in his impersonal way; Cousin Elizabeth had been kindness itself and went out of her way to alleviate any feelings of a discomfort or shame she might feel in her new position; and there were servants all the time to do the really menial work. Furthermore, not for pleasure but in the interests of her duty, she could take Geoffrey Charles any number of fascinating trips into the countryside, on the cliffs, along the beaches. And she had a pony always available.
They were li ttle more than a mile from the sea at Trenwith, but where Trenwith land abutted on the sea it was all sharp raw cliffs with one or two seaweedy coves only accessible by narrow and dangerous paths. A mile to the left (if you, were looking out to sea) the land dropped towards Trevaunance Cove with the Village of St Ann's beyond, A mile or a little more to the right was Sawle village with its shingly inlet which rose again in a short sharp cliff before reaching the property of Captain Ross Poldark. There was fine sand at Trevaunance and at Sawle when the tide went out; there were tantalizing glimpses of untouched golden sand in mainly inaccessible points; but by far the best sand and the best beach anywhere was Hendrawna, just beyond Captain Ross Poldark's land and almost into Treneglos property; four miles odd if you went direct, five or six if you skirted round.
Morwenna had not yet learned the causes of the estrangement between the two houses but she knew of its existence. That is to say, the Ross Poldarks were seldom mentioned; and on the one occasion when Geoffrey Charles had brought up the name in company he was effectively squashed. She could not tell quite where the point of enmity existed, what, injury, real or fancied, had been committed and on whom and how. When the subject was approached, George was suddenly dangerous, touchy, given to sarcasm; but it w as not directed, at all against Elizabeth. She was equall y touchy, cold; they saw eye to eye in their dislike. It was a strange situation to Morwenna Who, whatever the shortcomings of her home life, had always been on terms of immediate and loving friendship with every cousin she ever met. Clearly the Ross Poldarks had done something unforgivable: It was difficult to imagine what. Naturally she was curious; but she shied away from asking the one person likely to tell her. She felt no repugnance for Aunt Agatha; too often she had been in the company of very old and dying people; but she could not bring herself to shout the questions into the whiskery ear; it was a confidence to be sought in a murmur; not shouted like a naval broadside.
No actual prohibition from Elizabeth that their walks were not to come near Nampara land, but Morwenna felt she would be erring in the spirit of her instructions if she took Geoffrey Charles there; so whe never they went on Hendrawna it was by making
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