The Gold Miners

By Patrick Wetenhall

Jim Sandy was sitting in an armchair in the sitting-room of his fathers house in Cockermouth, and in his hands was a printed paper, headed: ANALYSIS of Boring number 5, Carrock Fell. Date of analysis: 4th March 1969. Sitting in the other armchair in the room, facing him on the other side of the hearth, was his father, Arthur Sandy, the manager of the Leadthwaite Mine, while his wife, Susan, and Jackie Sandy, his fathers wife, were sitting on the sofa between the two armchairs.

I see weve got gold included in this list of the elements present in the sample, said Jim as his eye ran down a long list of chemical elements on the left-hand side of the piece of paper in his hands. The paper was sub-titled: Elements present in sample: Average composition of rocks. There was also a second column headed: per centage weight.

Yes, said his father. And I think, if I remember rightly, that the figure quoted there in that list indicates that gold is present in the sample in a proportion which is really not too bad, all things considered.

Gosh! said Susan. So does that mean that you could at last be thinking of starting to mine gold at Carrock soon?

Yes, I would say that it really does mean that! said Mr. Sandy.
Were hoping to give it a go soon, arent we, Jackie, darling - if we can get the final permission we need before we can start mining operations?

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Mar 9, 2018
• ISBN: 9781524682484

Patrick Wetenhall

Patrick Wetenhall was born in 1942 at Cockermouth in Cambria. He was educated in Westminster School in central London, where he discovered a great interest in reading and a love of music and especially of organ music. Patrick has been a church organist for some forty years but has now retired in order to devote all his energy to the writing of his novels. He also has a passionate interest in minerals and gemstones.

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CHAPTER 1

Jim Sandy was sitting in an armchair in the sitting-room of his father’s house in Cockermouth, and in his hands was a printed paper, headed: ANALYSIS of Boring number 5, Carrock Fell. Date of analysis: 4th March 1969. Sitting in the other armchair in the room, facing him on the other side of the hearth, was his father, Arthur Sandy, the manager of the Leadthwaite Mine, while his wife, Susan, and Jackie Sandy, his father’s wife, were sitting on the sofa between the two armchairs.

I see we’ve got gold included in this list of the elements present in the sample, said Jim as his eye ran down a long list of chemical elements on the left-hand side of the piece of paper in his hands. The paper was sub-titled: Elements present in sample: Average composition of rocks. There was also a second column headed: per centage weight.

Yes, said his father. And I think, if I remember rightly, that the figure quoted there in that list indicates that gold is present in the sample in a proportion which is really not too bad, all things considered.

Gosh! said Susan. So does that mean that you could at last be thinking of starting to mine gold at Carrock soon?

Yes, I would say that it really does mean that! said Mr. Sandy.

We’re hoping to give it a go soon, aren’t we, Jackie, darling - if we can get the final permission we need before we can start mining operations?

Yes, we are indeed! said Jackie. Yes, we’re aspiring to become gold miners, Lady Sandy.

Oh, do, please, call me ‘Susan’, not ‘Lady Sandy’, said Susan.

After all, we’re all four of us called ‘Sandy’ in here, so I think that Christian names would be easier!

Sorry, Susan! said Jackie, but she said it with a laugh. You’re quite right, but I was forgetting that you like to be called ‘Susan’, not ‘Lady Sandy’. But, as I was going to say, if we do go ahead with mining at Carrock we’ll still be taking a huge risk, financially speaking, I should say.

Yes, and I’d say just the same, said Mr. Sandy, but in a way the risk doesn’t really matter to us now - or not much - as our little company has now been taken over by I.Z.M., the big international company.

They would bear the risk? asked Susan.

Well, yes, they could bear the risk; but having said that, if this venture does turn out to be a disaster, financially speaking, it would all come back on us probably.

How would it come back on you? Would you get the sack as manager?

Oh, yes, very likely I would be sacked as mine manager; and not only me, I should think.

They’d sack the lot of us, I should think, said Jackie; "all of us, that is, who are still left working at Leadthwaite, and they’d close the mine down. They want to do that anyway, and, in fact, I’m quite sure that we would already have been closed down quite some time ago if Arthur and I hadn’t kicked up a fuss about it, and persuaded them, reluctantly, to keep Leadthwaite open for just another year or two. What we’re hoping for, you see, is that we’ll soon be mining gold at Carrock in sufficient quantities to make some profit on it; and then I.Z.M. can close down our Leadthwaite Mine - which they say is uneconomic - as soon as they like to and transfer all the mining operations to our new site at Carrock. Well, that’s how it is, Susan; those are our hopes and aspirations - but whether they’ll be realized, or not, I wouldn’t like to say!"

And neither would I, said Mr. Sandy. And, as for Leadthwaite being an uneconomic mine - why, they’ve been saying that for years! I seem to remember a day some years ago when you were up here, Jim, and we were at the mine together, and I think that even at that time they were talking about Leadthwaite being an uneconomic mine, and saying that it would have to close down.

Jim, hearing his name mentioned, looked up from the anaysis which he had been perusing with increasing fascination.

Oh, yes, he said. Do you mean that autumn day when I was still working as the Guide of Rhodes Castle, when I was up here on holiday - the day when I first met you, Jackie?

That’ll be the day you were thinking of, Arthur, darling? said Jackie.

Yes, I believe it was on that day, Jim, when you and I were at Leadthwaite with old Bob Cole; and then you met my lovely wife, Jackie (who wasn’t my wife at that time), for the first time! I think I may well have told you at that time about how they were talking about our mine being uneconomic, and wanting to close it down.

Yes, I think you maybe did, Dad, but of course I can’t be sure about that now, said Jim.

But what is the percentage weight figure quoted in that list for gold, Jim?

It’s 0.024, and it comes after zirconium, which is 0.036.

Ah, yes, it comes between zirconium and nickel in that list, doesn’t it? I remember it now. But that’s quite an impressive figure, you know - 0.024 per cent of gold, by weight.

It doesn’t sound like an impressive figure!

Ah, but it is! Just because it’s less than 0.1 per cent doesn’t mean that it’s an insignificant proportion. No, relatively speaking, it appears to be pretty good, at least as compared with the other four sample borings.

There was no gold in any of them, was there?

Well, you could almost say that. Numbers three and four had what they call a ‘trace’ of gold in them.

And that means, for all practical purposes, none at all, said Jackie. But it was a lucky thing for us that that last boring finally yielded that positive result for gold."

You could say that we’ve been saved on the very last throw of the dice, said Mr. Sandy. We definitely couldn’t have afforded to make any more borings after this one.

Well, it seems to me that it’s an interesting list of elements - a very interesting list! said Jim thoughtfully. There are a lot of really odd names there, aren’t there?

Elements that one wouldn’t have expected to find in the Skiddaw Granite? said his father. Yes, I suppose you could say that about some of them.

Was the bedrock where you did Boring number five the ordinary granite then, not the greisen?

It was not in the greisen; but none of the Skiddaw Granite is what I would really call ‘ordinary’ as it all lies within the metamorphic aureole, so far as we know.

I see, said Jim. He understood the terms his father was using, and knew that the metamorphic aureole was a region in which the constituent minerals of the rocks had been chemically altered in some past geological age by intense heat from the earth. He thought for a moment and then asked another question.

Was the list of elements much the same for the other four borings?

Well, not entirely, said Mr. Sandy, but there were some names that were common to all the borings: the rare earths, for instance. I haven’t got the other analyses to look at - they’re at the mine - so I can’t refer to them now, but I think cerium is a name common to all five of them.

Rare earths? said Susan thoughtfully. They sound interesting! Are they really rare then?

Well, no, most of them are not really rare at all, so the name ‘rare earth elements’ is something of a misnomer - but some of them certainly are rare.

Like thulium, for instance, said Jackie. That’s rare enough.

Thulium! repeated Susan. What wonderful names some of these strange elements have got! It makes me wonder how they come to have such names?

Quite a lot of them were named after the places where they were first discovered, said Jackie. "There’s a place called Thule somewhere - I think it may be in Greenland, but I’m not sure - and thulium was named after it. And there’s a town called Ytterby in Sweden which has no less than four elements named after it: ytterbium, yttrium, terbium, and erbium!"

Gosh! said Susan. So the strange names are really quite logical?

Yes, they are, said Mr. Sandy. But I must say that I agree with you, Susan: the Periodic Table is a fascinating thing to study, or just to read through for anyone with any curiosity about natural things like the chemical elements. It does contain some wonderful names, although to a lot of people, I suppose, they are no more than names.

I’ve finished reading through this list now, said Jim, rising to his feet, the printed sheet of paper still in his hands. Do you want to have a look at it, Sue?

Yes, please, I’d love to have a read through it now! said Susan. This talk of elements with strange-sounding names has whetted my appetite for this sort of thing!

Oh, and that reminds me - talking of appetites, would anyone care for another chocolate?

On a little round table beside Mr. Sandy’s armchair there was an open box of chocolates which had been passed around the room a little earlier in the evening. Now, as Jim passed the sheet of paper to Susan, Mr. Sandy stood up to offer her the box of chocolates. When Susan had thanked both of them, and selected a chocolate, she handed the box on to Jackie. For a minute or two no one in the room spoke while they were enjoying their chocolates.

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Jim and Susan had come up to the North from their seat, Rhodes Castle, in Dorset to spend a few days over the Easter holiday period with Jim’s father, who lived at number 140 Lorton Road, in Cockermouth.

They had traveled up from the South that day (Maundy Thursday, the third of April) by train, but they had only been able to travel as far as Keswick by train; Keswick station was now the terminus of the branch line since the line onwards to Cockermouth had been closed three years earlier. Mr. Sandy and Jackie had met them in Mr. Sandy’s car at Keswick station at twenty minutes to six, and had driven them back to Cockermouth. Earlier in the day they had travelled up from London in the Royal Scot, having spent a night at their London house in Roehampton with their tenants there, John and Claire Walker.

When they had changed trains at Carlisle, and had boarded the local diesel train for Keswick, Jim and Susan had been looking admiringly at the breath-taking mountain scenery of the Northern Lake District and, in particular, at the highly distinctive outline of Blencathra (also called Saddleback), as seen from near Troutbeck.

It really is shaped just like a saddle! Susan had said. She had seen it before, but had never noticed just how saddle-shaped the top of the mountain was.

Yes, isn’t it? Jim had answered her. And Carrock Mine and Carrock Fell, where they found that gold, is just behind Saddleback, as we see it from here.

Oh, is it really? Susan had been looking very carefully at the hills, almost as if she had been expecting to catch a glimpse of a golden yellow gleam on the hillsides.

I expect Dad will take us there tomorrow to have a look around the place, Jim had said. At least, I hope he does!

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Carol Sandy, one of Jim’s twin sisters, was on her way home. At the moment when her father was handing around the box of chocolates in his sitting-room she was rounding the corner at the top of the hill, where Victoria Road turned into Lorton Road, having walked up from the bus stop in Main Street.

Carol was in the second year of a three year course of study at the Library School in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and was coming home for the Easter break. She had left her lodgings in Newcastle earlier that afternoon, and had taken a train to Carlisle, where she had changed trains to come on to Maryport station, from where she had taken a bus back to Cockermouth. She had been accompanied on the whole of this journey by her boyfriend, Tony, who lived in Papcastle, a village just outside Cockermouth, and who was also studying at Newcastle to become a librarian. Carol had asked Tony whether he would like to come with her to her house that evening, but he had declined her offer, explaining that his parents in Papcastle were expecting to see him back at home for supper at around nine o’ clock, which would be about twenty minutes after the bus had arrived at Cockermouth.

Hello! called Carol when she had closed the front door.

In the sitting-room they all, except Susan, jumped to their feet on hearing Carol’s arrival in the hall. Susan still had somewhat limited mobility, having suffered a stroke some three years earlier, so she could not make sudden movements; but she also began to prepare herself to stand up to greet Jim’s sister.

Hello, Carol, darling! said her father, putting his head around the door and seeing his daughter standing in the hall as she hung up her hat on a peg. You haven’t brought Tony with you?

No, I asked him, but he didn’t want to come, said Carol. We’re going to meet again tomorrow morning at his house. Hello, everybody!

She came into the sitting-room. No, do sit down, please, Lady Sandy!

Susan, who had begun to rise from her place on the sofa, at once relaxed and made herself comfortable again.

Ah, good evening, my Lord! said Carol gaily, now turning to greet her brother with a broad smile on her face, which in the next moment became her usual tinkling laugh as Jim answered her.

"Oh, Carol! Must you really?

"Well, Jim, you really are a Lord nowadays - and it’s something you should be proud of!"

Carol, darling, we’ve kept some supper for you, if you’d like to heat it up, said her father.

Oh, thanks, Dad, that’ll be great to have some supper! said Carol. I’ll go through to the kitchen now as I don’t want to break up your little party.

That’s all right, said Jackie. Why not come and join us in here, Carol, when you’ve heated up your supper? You could put it on a tray and eat it in here.

Yes, I might do that.

We were just talking about gold, actually, and our mining plans when you came in.

That sounds interesting! said Carol. But don’t let me stop your discussion. She retreated into the hall, but a moment later put her head around the doorway again.

I suppose you’ve put Julia to bed some time ago? she asked.

But we didn’t bring Julia with us this time, said Jim.

We left her at home with her nanny, said Susan.

Oh, what a shame! said Carol.

But we’re thinking that perhaps we’ll bring her with us the next time we come up to stay, said Susan, and that could be some time later this summer, hopefully. We’ll bring Julia with her nanny. We couldn’t manage without our nanny, Mrs. Middleton!

No, she’s simply splendid with Julia, agreed Jim, although Julia’s getting on splendidly too! She’s had her third birthday now, you know.

Yes - let me see - she’ll be three and a half on August the second, said Susan, and it will probably be round about that time that we’ll come up here to stay for a while. Hopefully by that time you may have started a new gold mine at Carrock, Mr. Sandy.

"Oh, yes, I suppose we could have started mining by then, said Mr. Sandy, but my guess is that it won’t happen quite as quickly as that."

What time tomorrow are we expecting Vicci back at home? asked Jim when Carol had gone along to the kitchen to heat up her food.

Oh, round about lunch time, I think, said his father. Let me see… He dug about in a trouser pocket for a moment, took out a folded sheet of paper, unfolded it, and read the note he had written on it. Yes, she’s due into Keswick station at ten past twelve.

So we’ll be driving to Keswick to pick her up there, said Jackie, and then we’ll all come back here for lunch - well, at least not quite all of us - I suppose Carol will be staying with Tony for the rest of the day, if she goes to Papcastle after breakfast.

Oh - that’s a pity! said Jim.

How do you mean, ‘that’s a pity’? asked his father.

Oh, I just meant that we won’t be able to go to the mine in the morning, or to Carrock, if you’ve got to be at Keswick station for ten past twelve.

But we could go in the afternoon either to Leadthwaite or Carrock - or even to both - if we want to! Cheer up, Jim, we’ll be seeing some mines tomorrow, so if you and Susan would like to come along to look for gold or other minerals you’ll be very welcome to come with us.

Oh, thank you, Dad, that’ll be great! said Jim with relief.

Thank you, Mr. Sandy, said Susan. I’m sure it’ll be good fun to go looking for minerals again. But where is Victoria doing her studies? She’s not at Newcastle too, is she?

No, she’s at Lancaster, studying at the new university there, said Mr. Sandy.

And living in Lancaster in term time, I suppose?

Yes, she’s taken lodgings in the city: a place which, I gather, is only about five minutes walk away from the railway station, so, of course, it’s very handy for her when she wants to come here occasionally for a weekend, and at the end of each term.

And she’s studying geology, bless her! said Jackie. And that, of course, is something close to our hearts, both of us.

You’d almost think that we must have put her under great pressure to become a geologist, wouldn’t you? said Mr. Sandy. But she just finds the science subjects fascinating, as Jackie and I do; and geology was always her favourite subject at school. I really don’t think that we’ve put her under any pressure, though, to follow in our footsteps.

No, she simply likes geology, said Jim. And so do I - it’s a fascinating subject!

Is she thinking of teaching it presently, when she’s fully qualified? asked Susan.

Yes, exactly so, said Mr. Sandy. She hopes to teach it to sixth-form pupils, and perhaps to other students as well, and she should do well as a teacher.

She’ll probably want to come with us if we go to Carrock tomorrow afternoon, said Jim.

I expect she’ll come with us, said his father.

Presently Carol returned to the sitting-room, carrying with her a tray on which there was a bowl of soup and a plate of fried fish and vegetables. When she had set her tray down on a table and drawn up a chair, and sat down, she asked when her twin sister would be arriving.

I’m picking her up at Keswick station at ten past twelve tomorrow, said her father.

Oh! I’ll probably be out somewhere with Tony then, said Carol.

But I’ll be able, hopefully, to see her tomorrow evening.

Oh, yes, surely!

We’re thinking of going to the mines tomorrow afternoon, said Jim; to Leadthwaite, perhaps, and then hopefully going on to Carrock.

To look for gold? said Carol. Vicci will want to come with you for that!

Yes, no doubt she will, said her father. And perhaps you’d like to come too, Carol, if you’re not staying a whole day with your friend, Tony? I dare say we could cram one more into the car, if you want to come?

"Thanks, Dad, that sounds exciting; but, you see, I don’t know yet what Tony wants to do tomorrow, so I’d better not accept your offer just yet. I say, this soup’s really good!"

It’s parsnip soup, and Jackie made it. She’s not just good at mineralogy, you know!

Oh, well, I’m not much good as a cook! said Jackie with a laugh. But… good heavens! What’s that?

They were all startled by a sudden loud knock on the front door.

Jackie was the first to spring to her feet.

I’ll go and see who it is, she said. No, it’s all right, I don’t mind! She added this, seeing that her husband and Jim had also risen to their feet.

But whoever can it be at this time of the evening? said Mr. Sandy, while the others were wondering the same thing.

Jackie opened the front door, but was so startled by the totally unexpected appearance of a police officer standing outside the door that she could not restrain an audible gasp of surprise. The constable, however, aware of the surprise his appearance had caused, spoke first.

Good evening, madam; and I’m sorry if I’ve taken you by surprise, he said politely. I’m Constable John Sommers from Cockermouth Police Station, and I’m looking for Jim Sandy. He lives here, I believe?

What do you want to see Jim for? said Jackie doubtfully. You’re not going to accuse him of committing some crime, are you?

"Oh, no, Mrs. Sandy, it’s nothing like that! I take it that you are Mrs. Sandy, by the way?"

Yes, I am Mrs. Sandy. Come in then, constable, if you want to have a word with Jim.

I’m here! Jackie turned on hearing Jim’s voice behind her, and saw that he and his father had come out into the hall to find out to whom she was talking. Good heavens, it’s Constable Sommers!

Yes, it’s me, your one-time colleague in the Cockermouth Police, Jim, said the constable, removing his helmet from his head as he stepped through the doorway into the hall. Well, how are you, Jim?

I’m fine, thanks! said Jim, shaking the policeman’s hand. But you haven’t come to arrest me, have you?

Oh, no, no; it’s nothing like that! I’ve just dropped in for a quick word with you, Jim - if you don’t mind?

Oh, I see! Well, do you mind if we go through to the kitchen to talk, Constable Sommers, as my sister is just busy eating her supper in the sitting-room right now? Jim glanced quickly around the door of the sitting-room as he said this, and noticed that Carol had put down her bowl of soup and her spoon on the tray, and was looking round at him in great surprise. He nodded to her, and she smiled back at him as she resumed eating her supper. Jim knew that she had understood that he was not in trouble with the police.

Mind your head, John! warned Jim as the policeman just in time ducked his head before passing through the doorway into the kitchen.

Well, Jim, we’ve heard about your recent elevation to the peerage. Congratulations, my Lord!

Oh, thank you! said Jim. Actually it was three years ago when that happened. Look here, shall we sit down while we’re talking? As he offered the policeman a chair he was wondering what he wanted to talk about. Surely it must be something more than just to congratulate me on my elevation to the Lords? he thought. However, he did not have to wait any longer to discover the reason for the policeman’s visit.

Thank you, he said as he sat down in the chair that Jim had pulled out for him. Now, look here, Jim, do’nt let me keep you in suspence any longer about why I’ve come here this evening. The fact is that Seargeant Koppel has decided that it would be good to have a little party at the Police Station in honour of your achievement, so I volunteered to come round to your house this evening to ask you what you think about it. Are you free to come along tomorrow morning?

Gosh! said Jim, who could hardly believe what he was hearing about a party in his honour. A party tomorrow morning - at the Police Station?

Yes, in deed.

But what sort of a party will it be?

Oh, well it’ll only be a small and quite informal affair, I should imagine - probably no more than drinks and pieces of cake, and that sort of thing. I think that’s the sort of party the seargeant has in mind - but you could come along any time you like tomorrow morning.

Does it have to be tomorrow morning?

Well, yes if you can manage it, Jim. You see, the fact is that the Chief Superintendant is coming to visit us tomorrow morning, and she’s given us her permission to have this party at the Station - in fact, she’s pretty keen on the idea! And no doubt she’d like to see you there, and have a word with you.

Jim noticed with surprise that Constable Sommers had referred to the Chief Superintendant as she.

Good heavens! he said. Well, yes - I see.

You could come along tomorrow morning?

Yes, I could - if it’s not going to take up too much time. I’ve got to be at Keswick station to meet my sister off a train tomorrow at ten past twelve, but if half an hour would be long enough to stay at the party I could come at about ten o’ clock, if that would be all right?

That would be fine, Jim.

Right, then you can tell Sergeant Koppel that I’ll be coming at round about ten o’ clock tomorrow morning. Was that all you wanted to tell me this evening?

Yes, that’s all, really. I dare say, though, that Sergeant Koppel will want to take the opportunity to have a bit of a talk with you.

Oh - you mean to give me a ticking off for the way I dismissed myself from the Force without letting anyone know beforehand?

Oh, no, Jim; that’s all been forgiven and forgotten about long ago; I’m sure that nothing more is going to be said about that. No, but I think he has some advice which he wants to pass on to you, with the approval of the Chief Superintendant, of course.

Advice? said Jim wonderingly.

Yes, but I honestly don’t know what it is that he wants to say, or that the Chief Superintendant may want to say, said Constable Sommers. It really would be out of order for me to speculate on that sort of thing. But I do think that you can rest assured, Jim, that it’s not going to be anything that you might find upsetting.

Oh, well, John, if you say so I’ll have to take your word for it, won’t I? Jim thought for a moment and then asked another question.

You say that the Chief Superintendant is coming tomorrow, but tomorrow, you know, is a public holiday - it’s Good Friday tomorrow - so isn’t it rather odd that she’s coming tomorrow? And you did say ‘she’, didn’t you, when you mentioned the Chief Superintendant?

Constable Sommers had been shaking his head when Jim had mentioned the public holiday, but now he nodded it to indicate the affirmative.

To take your second question first, Jim, he said: yes, I did say ‘she’ when I mentioned the Chief Superintendant; and I suppose that it is unusual for a woman to be in such a high-ranking position in the constabulary, but wait until tomorrow, and then you can see what you think about her. But as to your first point, Jim, about it being a public holiday tomorrow - well, surely you know that police work must go on all the time, regardless of such things as holidays?

Oh, yes, said Jim, I do know that police work must go on at all times, but all the same I wouldn’t have thought…

That the Chief Superintendant would choose Good Friday to call in to visit us at Cockermouth? Ah, but, you see, she sets her own agenda; and it’s certainly not for us to think of criticising it. Mind you, having said that, you are, of course, quite right in a way, Jim. Yes, we do cut down on work at weekends and public holidays, and usually - depending on the circumstances - as many officers as possible will be given time off on such occasions.

Yes, I see, said Jim.

Well then, Jim, I won’t keep you any longer now; I’ve said all that needs to be said, so we’ll see you at the Police Station tomorrow morning.

When Jim had said good-bye to the policeman, and had seen him drive away in his police car, he returned at once to the sitting-room, where he saw that the eyes of all the others were looking at him expectantly.

So what was that all about? asked his father, If you don’t mind me asking?

Well, said Jim, you’d hardly believe it, but he just came to tell me that I’m invited to come to a little party tomorrow morning at the Police Station.

A party? said his father.

At the Police Station? said Jackie.

But that’s an astonishing thing! said Carol, looking up from eating her supper.

Yes, I think it’s an astonishing thing, said Jim, but apparently Sergeant Koppel wants me to come tomorrow if I can, so I will go there. I said I’d go at about ten o’ clock for just half an hour so that I can be back here in plenty of time to go to Keswick to pick up Vicci. And apparently a Chief Superintendant is going to be there as well, and Constable Sommers said that she’ll probably want to talk to me.

She queried Jackie. A woman Chief Superintendant?"

Yes, apparently - that’s what John Sommers told me.

But that should be exciting for you, Jim! said Carol, looking up again from her supper with a mischievous grin on her face.

Yes, I expect so! said Jim. Privately, however, he was not sure about this. Carol’s remark had reminded him that one of his greatest weaknesses was the fact that he tended to be attracted far too easily to pretty women. Like Ailean…!

Why had the thought of Ailean Connor suddenly jumped into his mind? Well, because I love her, I suppose! he thought. But of course I ought not to be in love with Ailean…

So you don’t know who this Chief Superintendant is? said his father.

I’ve no idea who she is, said Jim, although I suppose that it is just possible that I might recognize her when I see her. You never know!

Later that evening as he went upstairs with Susan to retire to bed Jim was feeling rather worried as he thought about the forthcoming party at the Police Station. I do hope she doesn’t turn out to be an attractive woman! he thought. But - if only I could take Ailean with me it wouldn’t matter what the Chief Superintendant looks like!

CHAPTER 2

As he was walking along the quiet residential road called Kirkbank, above the River Cocker, Jim was deep in thought. He was on his way to the party at Cockermouth Police Station to which he had been invited, and was still wondering what his invitation really meant. It can’t be just a party in my honour to celebrate the fact that I’ve been elevated to the Lords, he reasoned. No, there must be more to it than that - yes, there is! Didn’t John say something about Sergeant Koppel wanting to give me some advice? But what sort of advice? Advice on what? What on earth can that mean, I wonder?

When he came to the end of the short street, where there was a stretch of grass leading down to Cocker Lane and a fine view over a stretch of the river and the town, Jim saw nothing of the view as he kept turning over these thoughts in his mind. His feet, meanwhile, were taking him in the right direction almost as if they had a mind of their own, independant of the thinking part of his brain. He walked across a corner of the stretch of grass, and then down a sloping path and some steps where a high hedge to his right shut out his view of the garden of End House. Then he descended the steep hill of Cocker Lane and crossed the river by the footbridge at the bottom of the hill; and still he was lost in his thoughts as he turned to his right to take a short cut to the Main Street.

He had by now almost persuaded himself that he was not feeling worried by the prospect of chatting with a female Chief Superintendant.

He had already told himself time after time that all he had to do when he was in her company was to be careful about what he said, and very careful if he should find that she seemed to be an attractive woman to keep his feelings of attraction properly under control. And that’s all there is to it! he told himself as he approached a low archway which would lead him between two houses and onto the Main Street. But I do wish I knew what John Sommers was talking about when he said that Sergeant Koppel would want to give me some advice. And… I do wish that Ailean was with me right now!

Ailean Connor had had to be left behind at Rhodes Castle when Jim and Susan had travelled north to Cockermouth to spend the Easter break there. Ailean was employed at the Castle as a gardener, the only female member of the gardening staff. Jim had had the misfortune to fall in love with her mother, Rachel, when she had been employed as the Guide of the Castle - a hopeless, obsessive love - but Rachel had left the Castle some three years ago to move with her husband to Ireland, where she now lived. Jim, however, had begun to fall in love with Ailean even before her mother had left the Castle. By now he had almost forgotten about Rachel - but Ailean was very much in his thoughts!

As he came out onto the pavement of Main Street Jim saw that there were a few people about, but his immediate impression was that the town seemed oddly quiet for the time of the morning (it was now five minutes to ten). He had, indeed, seen hardly anyone since he had left his father’s house some seven minutes earlier, but he had been too wrapped up in his thoughts and speculations to give the matter any consideration. Now, however, he was puzzled for a second or two until he remembered that it was Good Friday, and therefore a public holiday.

Well, it’s turning out to be another fine and sunny day, he thought, and that’ll be good for our trip to the mines this afternoon. But now for the Police Station and the party…!

Cockermouth Police Station was on the opposite side of the Main Street. Jim could see no police officers out and about on the beat, but he knew that they would all be inside the station, waiting for him.

He entered the Station through the archway that leads into the yard to the rear of the building, and then through the doorway for members of the public, marked Enquiries. As he pressed the bell-push at the enquiries counter, and heard a buzzer sound, the thought went through his mind that the last day when he had reported for work at this same counter had been the day when he had first met Susan, and had fallen in love with her. And now she was his wife - but Ailean was also very important to him. There was, however, no time for him to dwell on any of these thoughts as within seconds of the buzzer sounding a door was opened, and a woman in civilian clothing appeared behind the counter.

Can I help you? she asked in a dreary, lifeless voice, not sounding at all as if she really wanted to help anyone.

Oh, yes please! said Jim. I’m Lord Sandy, and I have an appointment to come here this morning. Constable Sommers came to my house last night to invite me to come here.

Oh, yes; I’ll just go and tell Sergeant Koppel that you’ve arrived, said the woman. Could you just wait here a moment, Lord Sandy?

What a dreary old bitch she is! thought Jim as the woman, who had never offered him the slightest hint of a smile, went out through a door at the back of the room and closed the door behind her. The next moment, however, he realized that Sergeant Koppel was waiting for him in the next-door room, as he heard the woman announce: Lord Sandy has arrived, sir, and then heard the reply Good! in the sergeant’s voice.

The door opened again as Sergeant Koppel entered the Enquiries Room, a cheerful smile on his face.

Ah, Jim - good morning to you, my Lord! he said, coming up to the counter and extending his right hand hand to Jim.

Good morning, Sergeant Koppel! said Jim. They shook hands heartily.

Come right in, Jim! said the sergeant, releasing a bolt so that he could raise the counter for Jim to pass through by that way. Is it all right to call you, ‘Jim’?

Yes, yes, please do; I really don’t like being called ‘My Lord’ all the time; it’s far too formal and stuffy for ordinary conversation.

Yes, I dare say it is, said the sergeant. Well, come this way, Jim; we’re going upstairs now. Did Constable Sommers tell you, by the way, that we have the Chief Superintendant here this morning?

Yes, he did tell me that, said Jim as he followed Sergeant Koppel up the stairs. And what about Constable Nickley? Is he still working here?

No, not any more. He’s been promoted to the role of sergeant and transferred to Keswick.

Oh, I see. And what about Laura Apsley?

Laura’s been promoted too. You’ll see, Jim, in a minute.

Jim wondered what the sergeant meant by, you’ll see in a minute. Does he mean that I’m about to see her? he asked himself; but there was really no time to wonder about it as the sergeant was now knocking on the door of one of the first floor rooms. He heard a crisp female voice from within the room call out, Come in! and thought that it sounded familiar, although he could not put a name to the voice.

I’ve brought Lord Jim Sandy with me, Chief Superintendant, said Sergeant Koppel, saluting his senior officer respectfully as he entered the room. Come in, Jim, and let me introduce you to Chief Superintendant Laura Apsley, whom, I think, you may already know!

There was a broad smile on Sergeant Koppel’s face as he stood aside as Jim entered the room behind him. He had already gasped in amazement as he saw who was seated at the chair at the desk, wearing the full uniform of a Chief Superintendant.

Laura Apsley rose to her feet and extended a hand towards Jim. He felt for a moment completely overawed by the imposing female figure, who seemed to be towering over him (she was six feet and one inch tall).

Good morning, Jim - so we meet again! The Chief Superintendant was smiling cheerfully as she shook the hand which Jim extended doubtfully, with a hearty handshake. And congratulations on your appointment to the House of Lords!

Oh, er… thank you, Chief Superintendant! Jim was still feeling very dazed by his sudden discovery that the Chief Superintendant was none other than his former colleague, police constable Laura Apsley, and so felt that he hardly knew either what he was saying, or what he ought to be saying. And congratulations on your promotion, Laura! he added as an afterthought.

Ah, well, I must admit that it feels good to be a Chief Superintendant nowadays, said Laura Apsley. But do sit down, Jim, and relax, and enjoy yourself. We’re having a little party in here in your honour this morning, you see. She indicated an empty chair for Jim to sit down in.

That’s it, Jim, you can sit here beside me, said Sergeant Koppel.

When the Chief Superintendant had introduced him to the other people present in the room - Constable John Sommers was there, and there were two women police constables whom Jim had not seen before - she offered him a drink. There was a tray on the Chief Superintendant’s desk on which there were two bottles, some glasses, and a plate on which was a pile of small pieces of cake.

Will you have a glass of sherry, Jim? asked the Chief Superintendant. Or will you be driving a motor vehicle at some time later today - in which case I mustn’t offer you an alcoholic drink?

She looked at him keenly for his answer.

No, I won’t be driving at all today, said Jim decisively, so I’ll have some sherry, please. Dad or Jackie will be doing the driving today, he thought, so it is alright to have a drink now.

That’s all right, then!

A glass of sherry had already been poured out for him, and now Jim rose to his feet to take it as Laura Apsley passed it in his direction.

Sergeant Koppel, however, with quick thinking jumped to his feet.

No, you sit down, Jim, and let me pass it to you, he said.

You’re our guest of honour today, remember!

Gosh, am I really? he said wonderingly. Oh, thank you, Sergeant! He took his glass from the sergeant’s hand.

Have a piece of cake, Jim, won’t you?

Yes, please, I will!

The sergeant picked up the plate with the pieces of cake on it, but then, remembering the presence of his superior officer, offered it first to the Chief Superintendant.

Another piece for you, Chief Superintendant?

No, thanks! said the Chief Superintendant.

The plate was passed next to Jim, who took a slice of cake. Then the sergeant offered it to the two women constables, and then finally to Constable Sommers.

The room in which they were sitting was a small room with a view over the Main Street through a narrow window. The two women constables were sitting on chairs just in front of this window, and were chatting quietly with each other whenever no one else was talking to them. Jim had hardly noticed their presence at first when he had come into the room (such had been the effect of his shock on seeing Laura Apsley seated at the desk in the centre of the room, wearing the uniform of a chief superintendant), but even now, having been introduced to them, he was paying little regard to them. One quick glance in their direction had been enough for him to feel satisfied that they were not worth looking at from the point of view of female attractiveness.

In any case, there were other matters on his mind that were claiming most of his attention. He felt that he was now getting over the shock of discovering that the female Chief Superintendant was none other than Laura Apsley, but he did now find himself wondering how she had managed to be promoted to such a senior rank in the space of a mere nine years (the time when he last remembered seeing her when she had been merely a constable). Also he was still wondering what sort of advice it might be that Sergeant Koppel was thinking of passing on to him. I surely haven’t been asked to call in here this morning just to eat cake and drink sherry! he told himself again as he swallowed a mouthful of the sweet sherry in his glass.

Well, Jim, said the Sergeant, I expect you’re wondering why we asked you to call in here this morning - that is, apart from asking you to join in this little celebration?

Oh, yes, sir, said Jim, I have been wondering why you asked me to come, but I expect it’s really because there’s something you want to tell me? Good heavens! he thought, it’s almost as if I’d just spoken my thought aloud!

That’s just it, Jim, and I’ll keep you in suspence no longer. You know, I think, that your Dad is a personal friend of mine so I hope you won’t mind if I mention something which is really his business, rather than your’s?

I suppose I won’t, said Jim, who had no idea what Sergeant Koppell was talking about.

Well, then, he’s in the mining business, isn’t he? But I was surprised to hear that he is apparently looking for gold?

Jim suddenly gasped with surprise as his mouth fell open for a moment, but it took another few seconds before he managed to speak again.

How do you know that? We’ve been jolly careful, you know, to keep it a secret.

But not quite careful enough, perhaps? said the Chief Superintendant. Yes, I’ve been told about it.

But who told you about it? asked Jim.

The Sergeant and the Chief Superintendant looked at each other.

Do you want to tell him, Chief Superintendant? said Sergeant Koppel.

You tell him, said the Chief Superintendant shortly.

Very well, said the Sergeant, it was like this, Jim. Some information was passed on to me by Constable Sommers to the effect that he’d overheard part of a conversation between two men who were talking about your father’s mining business. Look here, I think it would be best if you could tell us now what you told me, John - if that’s alright by you, Chief Superintendant?

That’s fine by me! said the Chief Superintendant.

So Constable Sommers began to relate his story: what it was that he had overheard which had aroused his suspicions that some sort of criminal activity was possibly being planned. He said that one evening recently, when he had been off duty, he and his wife had called in at the Globe Hotel, as they quite often did, to have a drink at the bar.

While they had been there they had not been able to help overhearing part of a conversation between two men who were drinking beer, sitting on high stools at the bar.

Now, I know that I could have told you about this when I was round at your home last night, Jim, but I thought that it would be best to wait for this morning with us all together here, to share this news with you, said Constable Sommers. I hope you don’t mind?

No, I’m sure I don’t mind, said Jim, who thought that they were all making an unnecessary fuss about telling him whatever it was that they were going to tell him. Do you know who these two men were?

No, Jim, I didn’t recognize either of them, but it was soon obvious to me that at least one of them either knows your father, or at least knows what he does for a living. And then the other one asked a direct question about gold. I can’t remember his exact words, but it was something like, ‘Where did you say he found that gold?’ to which the first one answered, ‘He found it in the river, somewhere near Carrock Mine’. ‘Oh, yes’ says the other one, ‘but where exactly is Carrock Mine?’ to which the first one answered, ‘Well, I’ll show you later on a map where it is, Rod’ - that was the name of the man who first asked about the gold. And then he said, ‘And look here, we’d better not talk about it any more in here’; and pretty soon after that they both left the bar. Constable Sommers paused a moment for Jim to answer.

Damn! he muttered briefly. That means that someone else has found out that Dad has discovered gold there. Probably he overheard something that Dad said to Jackie - that’s my step-mother - the last time they were visiting the mine.

Yes, I should say that it’s quite likely that that’s what has happened, said Constable Sommers.

And I should say that Constable Sommers has done some good work for you there, Jim, said the Chief Superintendant, and you may well have cause to be very grateful for it.

"Oh, yes, I’m sure that I am grateful! said Jim, who nevertheless felt that undue pressure was being put on him to say, Thank you".

Well, I really would have liked to arrest those two men there and then, said Constable Sommers, as it seemed to me that they might well have been planning something that was criminal, but then I thought that to do that would be to exceed my authority as it was just as likely that, after all, there was nothing suspicious in what they were doing. On balance, I thought that I couldn’t take the risk of becoming actively involved with them, but I thought that the best thing would be just to use my eyes and my ears - and then to warn you about my suspicions, Jim.

Thank you very much, John, said Jim. I’m sure you’ve done exactly the right thing; and I’m going to tell Dad what you’ve just told me as soon as I get home.

He was offered some more cake and a fill-up for his glass which, out of politeness, he accepted, although he now felt that he was in a hurry to leave the Police Station to pass on the disturbing news to his father and Jackie. Sergeant Koppel told him that if his father wished to call in at the Station at any time to have a talk with him, he would be more than willing to see him.

Or if he’d like to make an appointment to come and have a talk with me I’d be quite happy to do that, said Constable Sommers - if that’s alright by you, Chief Superintendant?

Sergeant Koppel glanced up for a moment at his superior officer and saw the Chief Superintendant nod to him.

That’s alright by me, Constable Sommers, she said.

Ten minutes later Jim left the Police Station, having declined to