THE DELECTABLE DUCHY BY Q 1906 SHORT STORY To ALFRED PARSONS CONTENTS PROLOGUE THE SPINSTER'S MAYING DAPHNIS WHEN THE SAP ROSE THE PAUPERS CUCKOO VALLEY RAILWAY THE CONSPIRACY ABOARD THE "MIDAS" LEGENDS OF ST. PIRAN. I St. Piran: the Millstone II St. Piran: the Visitation IN THE TRAIN. I. Punch's Understudy II. A Corrected Contempt WOON GATE FROM A COTTAGE IN GANTICK. I. The Mourner's Horse II. Silhouettes THE DRAWN BLIND A GOLDEN WEDDING SCHOOL FRIENDS PARENTS AND CHILDREN. I. The Family Bible II. Boanerges TWO MONUMENTS EGG-STEALING SEVEN-AN'-SIX THE REGENT'S WAGER LOVE OF NAOMI THE PRINCE OF ABYSSINIA'S POST-BAG. I. An Interruption II. The Great Fire on Freethy's Quay PROLOGUE. A week ago, my friend the Journalist wrote to remind me that once upon a time I had offered him a bed in my cottage at Troy and promised to show him the beauties of the place. He was about (he said) to give himself a fortnight's holiday, and had some notion of using that time to learn what Cornwall was like. He could spare but one day for Troy, and hardly looked to exhaust its attractions; nevertheless, if my promise held good.... By anticipation he spoke of my home as a "nook." Its windows look down upon a harbour, wherein, day by day, vessels of every nation and men of large experience are for ever going and coming; and beyond the harbour, upon leagues of open sea, highway of the vastest traffic in the world: whereas from his own far more expensive house my friend sees only a dirty laurel-bush, a high green fence, and the upper half of a suburban lamp post. Yet he is convinced that I dwell in a nook. I answered his letter, warmly repeating the invitation; and last week he arrived. The change had bronzed his face, and from his talk I learnt that he had already seen half the Duchy, in seven days. Yet he had been unreasonably delayed in at least a dozen places, and used the strongest language about 'bus and coach communication, local trains, misleading sign-posts, and the like. Our scenery enraptured him--every aspect of it. He had travelled up the Tamar to Launceston, crossed the moors, climbing Roughtor and Brown Willy on his way, plunged down towards Camelford, which he appeared to have reached by following two valleys simultaneously, coached to Boscastle, walked to Tintagel, climbed up to Uther's Castle, diverged inland to St. Nectan's Kieve, driven on to Bedruthan Steps, Mawgan, the Vale of Lanherne, Newquay, taken a train thence to Truro, a steamer from Truro to Falmouth, crossed the ferry to St. Mawes, walked up the coast to Mevagissey, driven from Mevagissey to St. Austell, and at St. Austell taken another train for Troy. This brought half his holiday to a close: the remaining half he meant to devote to the Mining District, St. Ives, the Land's End, St. Michael's Mount, the Lizard, and perhaps the Scilly Isles.