The pool of St Branok

He said: "I think you had better come first to my place. Then in the morning you can get down to business."

I looked round me.

We had alighted in what could be called a street. There were a few buildings, mostly primitive. There was a shop. I supposed that was the one which sold everything; and about it the dwelling-places were like shacks. The pavement was a raised wooden platform. A number of people came running out of the shacks and the buildings at the arrival of the coach. There were several children, all shrieking and shouting, greeting some of the people who alighted.

"It's a red letter day when the coach comes in," Ben explained.

"Where are the goldfields?" asked Gervaise.

Ben waved his arm. "All about the town," he said.

"You mean this place?"

"I'm sorry. I'm flattering it ... calling it a town. The town of Golden Creek."

"Is there a creek?"

"Certainly there is a creek. That is where it got its name."

"Golden Creek," murmured Justin.

"It deserved it once," said Ben. "Let's hope it will again. Come this way.

It's just along here ... away from the street. You can't see the house because it's surrounded by bush. I kept it that way. Privacy, you know."

He led the way. "You'll need horses," he went on. "Can't get on without them here. I have a big stable."

"You are so good to us, Ben," I said gratefully.

He laid his hand on my shoulder. "Now, whom should I be good to if not to my own little cousin Angel? I'm not sure if it is cousin but that seems to be a term used for these vague relationships."

We walked with him and in a short time we came to a spot where the bushes grew thick. He led us through them and before us was a lawn and then ... the house.

It was of white stone and looked elegant and dignified, and perhaps because it seemed so out of place, imperious.

"Behold Golden Hall," said Ben.

"Is that what you called it?" I cried.

He nodded. "It was built out of gold. It's here because of gold. So what more appropriate?"

"It is really amazing," I said.

"You will find a lot to amaze you out here, I hope."

"I'm looking forward to that."

"Well, come along in. They are prepared for you."

"Who?" I asked quickly, and I felt a sudden fear that he was going to introduce us to his wife. I shouldn't have minded, but I did.

"I have two people working for me with their family," he explained. "Thomas and his wife, Meg; they have a son, Jacob, and a girl, Minnie. That is my staff. Thomas sold up everything to come out here to find gold. A familiar story."

"So he didn't find gold. He found the Golden Hall instead?" said Gervaise.

"That's right. Many of them come out here with gold fever. They work frantically and perhaps they never have a find ... and then they turn against it. They don't want to hear another word about gold. They want to settle down to the steady life they had before they came. Thomas is like that. And his wife agrees with him. I don't know about Jacob. He's young yet. Perhaps he'll catch gold fever one day and be off."

"You seem to have found a pleasant niche for yourself here," said Justin.

"The best of both worlds is the way I see it. I live like a squire but I have my mine and my hopes linger. One day I am going to find that rich vein of gold ... and it will be such as was never found before."

"And if you don't?" I asked.

"I shall go on trying until I find it or they carry me off in my coffin ... whichever comes first."

"There is determination," said Gervaise.

"A lesson to you," I replied.

"Well, come along in. Meg will have a meal cooking and I'll show you your rooms for the night. Then tomorrow ... sharp ... we'll get down to business."

The house was a replica of an English manor house. There were high ceilings and heavy oak beams.

Ben said to me: "I've tried to make it look like home."

"It does," I assured him.

We were taken into a drawing room. It had French windows opening onto a garden.

"Jacob tends that," said Ben. "Thomas helps a little and Meg picks the flowers."

"You must have thought of home often," I mused, "to make it so like ..."

"Often," he assured me. "You should see your rooms now. Ah, here is Meg."

She was a rotund comfortable-looking woman with rosy cheeks and rather wispy brown hair.

"Our visitors, Meg," he said.

She nodded to us and said she would take us to our rooms. She hoped we'd be comfortable and if there was anything we wanted we should ask.

She took us up the wide staircase and there were our rooms. Gervaise and I gave a little gasp of pleasure as we went into ours. The light filtering through the blinds showed us the blue carpet and the covers to match, the cozy armchair, the writing desk and the alcove in which was a basin and ewer; there was a wardrobe and a dressing table with a swing-mirror on it.

"I'll bring you hot water," said Meg. "Dinner will be in about twenty minutes if you can make it."

We assured her we could.

Gervaise looked at me. "This is more like it," he said. "I haven't seen anything like this since leaving home. I will say that Ben knows how to look after himself."