Waterlands come from millwrights, but the Fellings on the other hand have always been much further upstream, if you get my drift. They were right flummoxed when Henrietta Felling condescended to Bernard Waterland, but it wasn’t such a surprise to me. Her branch of the Fellings had very dry pockets and it seemed he had a fortune.’
‘That is not so unusual, is it?’ Miss Broadbent observed. ‘A pedigree in exchange for cash.’
‘Leave something for the poor footman!’ Rorke slogged into the dining hall with another basket of used plates. ‘It’s all right for you lot; I’m the one obliged to be in and out like a fiddler’s elbow, but I will dip my beak now, if I may.’
‘Go on, man –’ Mr Otty poured Rorke a foaming draught of the beer – ‘take a quick sup on the wing.’ Then he turned to Miss Broadbent and said, ‘The master’s father, Jack Waterland, was a terrible canny man. My dad was a ploughman time back on Sedge Farm and he knew all about it. The farm was a place oozing springs and swamps when Jack Waterland bought it, but he would have none of their mischief. He found ways of removing wetness from the land by making drains, you see.’
Mrs Edmunds chipped in. ‘Parkgate weren’t nowt but a village in them days and just a few shrimpers and fisherfolk living there and a bad, chocky road between the village and Chester.’
Mr Otty scratched the grizzled nap of his head and went on, ‘The old master contrived all sorts of drainage machines and sold them all over the kingdom as well. He was desperate keen to get on top of the difficulty of the Dee and make Parkgate a reliable stop for trade.’ He paused to remove a well-masticated lump of gristle from his mouth, and lobbed it into the fire before going on. ‘He made a powerful penny out of his machines, and levered himself up and Parkgate along with it. When the old quay at Neston was finally jacked in because of the silt, the trade came up here and Jack Waterland found himself in right good buckle.’
Miss Broadbent said, ‘Why did the Waterlands’ fortunes dwindle then? I wonder.’
‘Old Jack Waterland planned to build drains under the Dee, so that Parkgate would not succumb to sludge, but he died before he could realise his design. A committee of Chester men, who were after business themselves, had the New Cut dug in the river instead. That pushed the course of the Dee over to the Welsh side and Parkgate fell into difficulties with the loss of trade.’
Rorke said, ‘In any case, the Dee cannot hold a candle to the Mersey. They can ram any amount of two-hundred-tonners up that waterway.’
Mrs Edmunds said, ‘You must not dawdle your time away down here, Rorke. They will be wanting the cheese taken from the table.’ Rorke slugged the last of his beer and wiped his chops with the back of his hand.
Miss Broadbent said, ‘Do you think, Mr Otty, that the present master walks in the shadow of his father?’
‘Our master is no dullard, but he wants the ability of his father to convert his brains into brass. Her upstairs, nor her father, didn’t know that when they accepted Bernard Waterland. He, of course, had given her to expect that he had the moon in his pocket.’
Mrs Edmunds said with lowered voice, ‘He was a different man in them days. He was bowled over by Miss Felling something fierce and it was all right merry at the outset of the marriage. But by the time Master Johnny was born she was coming to see there was nowt but a few shillings rattling round at Sedge Court.’
Miss Broadbent said, ‘And the lady was brought up to a certain style, of course.’
‘Oh aye, she will want things when she wants them and it is not in her make-up to do without. All credit to her silver tongue though, because she went to her aunt Lady Paine in Derbyshire, who was the older sister of Sir Joseph, God rest her soul, and she coaxed the lady into settling an annuity on her, a good amount of which went into schemes to revive the
‘That is not so unusual, is it?’ Miss Broadbent observed. ‘A pedigree in exchange for cash.’
‘Leave something for the poor footman!’ Rorke slogged into the dining hall with another basket of used plates. ‘It’s all right for you lot; I’m the one obliged to be in and out like a fiddler’s elbow, but I will dip my beak now, if I may.’
‘Go on, man –’ Mr Otty poured Rorke a foaming draught of the beer – ‘take a quick sup on the wing.’ Then he turned to Miss Broadbent and said, ‘The master’s father, Jack Waterland, was a terrible canny man. My dad was a ploughman time back on Sedge Farm and he knew all about it. The farm was a place oozing springs and swamps when Jack Waterland bought it, but he would have none of their mischief. He found ways of removing wetness from the land by making drains, you see.’
Mrs Edmunds chipped in. ‘Parkgate weren’t nowt but a village in them days and just a few shrimpers and fisherfolk living there and a bad, chocky road between the village and Chester.’
Mr Otty scratched the grizzled nap of his head and went on, ‘The old master contrived all sorts of drainage machines and sold them all over the kingdom as well. He was desperate keen to get on top of the difficulty of the Dee and make Parkgate a reliable stop for trade.’ He paused to remove a well-masticated lump of gristle from his mouth, and lobbed it into the fire before going on. ‘He made a powerful penny out of his machines, and levered himself up and Parkgate along with it. When the old quay at Neston was finally jacked in because of the silt, the trade came up here and Jack Waterland found himself in right good buckle.’
Miss Broadbent said, ‘Why did the Waterlands’ fortunes dwindle then? I wonder.’
‘Old Jack Waterland planned to build drains under the Dee, so that Parkgate would not succumb to sludge, but he died before he could realise his design. A committee of Chester men, who were after business themselves, had the New Cut dug in the river instead. That pushed the course of the Dee over to the Welsh side and Parkgate fell into difficulties with the loss of trade.’
Rorke said, ‘In any case, the Dee cannot hold a candle to the Mersey. They can ram any amount of two-hundred-tonners up that waterway.’
Mrs Edmunds said, ‘You must not dawdle your time away down here, Rorke. They will be wanting the cheese taken from the table.’ Rorke slugged the last of his beer and wiped his chops with the back of his hand.
Miss Broadbent said, ‘Do you think, Mr Otty, that the present master walks in the shadow of his father?’
‘Our master is no dullard, but he wants the ability of his father to convert his brains into brass. Her upstairs, nor her father, didn’t know that when they accepted Bernard Waterland. He, of course, had given her to expect that he had the moon in his pocket.’
Mrs Edmunds said with lowered voice, ‘He was a different man in them days. He was bowled over by Miss Felling something fierce and it was all right merry at the outset of the marriage. But by the time Master Johnny was born she was coming to see there was nowt but a few shillings rattling round at Sedge Court.’
Miss Broadbent said, ‘And the lady was brought up to a certain style, of course.’
‘Oh aye, she will want things when she wants them and it is not in her make-up to do without. All credit to her silver tongue though, because she went to her aunt Lady Paine in Derbyshire, who was the older sister of Sir Joseph, God rest her soul, and she coaxed the lady into settling an annuity on her, a good amount of which went into schemes to revive the
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