The Quality of Mercy - By Barry Unsworth Page 0,114

he saw the labor of the putters and noted the length of the galleries and workways along which they had to drag the loaded corves; he questioned the overman closely on the methods of dealing with marsh gas and chokedamp; he had the problems of flooding explained to him and learned much about the various methods of ventilating the mine both by fire and by the use of trapdoors—these last worked by children during their first three years at the pit.

By the end of the day he had learned a great deal about the working of the colliery and the methods of extraction. He had also learned, from Roland Bourne, the full name, and the address, of the notary in Hartlepool.

But the great moment of his visit came early next morning, when he rode alone to the mouth of the Dene and saw that, though the sides were steep and thickly wooded, the path that led down from the opening of the ravine to the stream below descended by much more gradual degrees, and that the land immediately adjoining the stream continued roughly level on either side, at least for the mile or so that he walked along it.

He arrived in Hartlepool toward midday and had no difficulty in finding Mr. Bathgate’s place of business. The notary was a tall man, advanced in age, stooped a little at the shoulder, with a solemnity of utterance and manner belied by bright, quick-glancing eyes.

“Pray be seated, sir,” he said. “How can I be of service to you?”

Kemp had been kept waiting for twenty minutes or so in an outer room while the notary continued to converse with a client already there, who looked like someone in a small way of business, perhaps a shopkeeper—in any case, a person who should have been ushered out immediately when he, Kemp, had arrived on the scene. This, coupled with the fact that he felt free for the moment from Spenton’s presence and the constraint this entailed of appearing agreeable and obliging, brought out a strain of arrogance in him that was never far away.

“I am a guest of Lord Spenton,” he said, ignoring the offer of a chair. “I have need of information regarding his lordship’s estates.”

“Have you so?” The notary regarded his visitor for some moments, taking in the expensive and fashionable cut of his riding suit, the stiffness of his bearing, the dark eyes that were turned from him. He had registered the high-handed manner without being set in awe by it; he was not a man easily set in awe. “You will have a paper of some sort?” he said.

“A paper? What do you mean?”

“Some note from his lordship authorizing you to make these inquiries.”

“No, I have nothing of the sort. I cannot see that it is necessary. I informed Lord Spenton that I was in need of certain information and I obtained your name from him.”

“I see. So I am expected to take it on trust. I am afraid that sets certain limits on the nature of the information I can give you.”

Kemp checked the angry reply that rose to his lips. For the first time he deigned to look directly at the notary and found himself being regarded with a certain curiosity but without any hint of deference. Belatedly he realized that it had been a mistake to take such a peremptory tone; the fellow was insolent beyond what could have been expected in a provincial lawyer. “Well, it is nothing of a particularly confidential kind,” he said more mildly. “The valley known as the Dene, does it give access to a stretch of shore that forms part of Lord Spenton’s property?”

The notary maintained a silence for some moments, looking down at his hands, which lay clasped on the desk before him. Then he said, “The line of the shore is common land, sir, for fifty yards from the tidemark.”

“I understand that Lord Spenton has once already encroached on common land in order to enlarge his park, and this without penalty to him.”

“That is so, yes.”

“It is likely that he would have the same power of expropriation in this case.”

“It would be a reasonable assumption. The Spenton family have had the land in their possession for four generations. Possession confers rights, sir, that is the way of things.”

On this Kemp took his departure. He was reasonably satisfied with the interview, though bearing away an unfavorable opinion of the notary. Even if compensation for the enclosure had to be paid, it