The man stopped in his work and looked up. His eye lighted with
pleasure on the dignified stranger. "Yes; he's one of the right sort,
sir," he answered, with a sort of proprietary pride in the
distinguished figure. "A real old Cornish gentleman of the good old
days, he is, if ever you see one. That's Trevennack of Trevennack; and
Miss Cleer's his daughter. Fine old crusted Cornish names, every one of
them; I'm a Cornishman myself, and I know them well, the whole grand
lot of them. The Trevennacks and the Bassets, they was all one, time
gone by; they owned St. Michael's Mount, and Penzance, and Marazion,
and Mullion here. They owned Penmorgan, too, afore the Tyrrels bought
it up. Michael Basset Trevennack, that's the gentleman's full name; the
eldest son of the eldest son is always a Michael, to keep up the memory
of the times gone by, when they was Guardians of the Mount and St.
Michael's Constables. And the lady's Miss Cleer, after St. Cleer of
Cornwall--her that gives her name still to St. Cleer by Liskeard."
"And do they live here?" Le Neve asked, much interested in the
intelligent local tone of the man's conversation.
"Lord bless you, no, sir. They don't live nowhere. They're in the
service, don't you see. They lives in Malta or Gibraltar, or wherever
the Admiralty sends him. He's an Admiralty man, he is, connected with
the Vittling Yard. I was in the navy myself, on the good old Billy
Ruffun, afore I was put in the Coastguards, and I knowed him well when
we was both together on the Mediterranean Station. Always the same
grand old Cornish gentleman, with them gracious manners, so haughty
like, an' yet so condescending, wherever they put him. A gentleman
born. No gentleman on earth more THE gentleman all round than
Trevennack of Trevennack."
"Then he's staying down here on a visit?" Le Neve went on, curiously,
peering over the edge of the cliffs, as he spoke, to observe the
cormorants.
"Don't you go too nigh, sir," the coastguard put in, warningly. "She's
slippery just there. Yes, they're staying down in Oliver's lodgings at
Gunwalloe. He's on leave, that's where it is. Every three or four years
he gets leave from the Vittling and comes home to England; and then he
always ups and runs down to the Lizard, and wanders about on the cliffs
by himself like this, with Miss Cleer to keep him company. He's a chip
of the old rock, he is--Cornish granite to the core, as the saying
goes; and he can't be happy away from it. You'll see him any day
standing like that on the very edge of the cliff, looking across over
the water, as if he was a coastguard hisself, and always sort o'
perched on the highest bit of rock he can come nigh anywhere."
"He looks an able man," Le Neve went on, still regarding the stranger,
poised now as before on the very summit of the tor, with his cloak
wrapped around him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account