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Updated: June 11, 2025
Betty also reminded herself ruefully that in the far-away days when Godfrey Radmore had been so often an inmate of Old Place, there had been something like open war between himself and Miss Pendarth, and when she had heard of his extraordinary good fortune, she had not hidden her regret that it had fallen on one so unworthy.
Well, after the funeral was over, he stayed on with me for a few minutes, and suddenly he exclaimed: 'Gaffer John isn't dead at all, Miss Pendarth. I naturally answered, 'Of course he is, Timmy. Why, we've just seen him buried. And then he said: 'Don't you see him walking out there, along the road, quite plainly?
But Olivia Pendarth was a very honest woman too honest, some people might have said. "It was not exactly odd," she said quickly, "for, to tell you the truth, I made it my business while there to make certain enquiries about the Croftons. In fact, I partly went to Essex for that purpose, though I did not tell my friends so." The visitor felt rather shocked, as well as surprised.
And then, as Nanna sidled towards the door, the old woman suddenly remarked, a little irrelevantly: "I suppose you've told Miss Pendarth that Mr. Godfrey is coming, Miss Betty?" Betty looked round quickly. "No," she said, "I haven't had a chance yet. Thank you for reminding me."
Timmy and Radmore looked at one another, but neither spoke for a moment. Then Radmore answered, rather drily: "In my time, Miss Pendarth was the greatest gossip and busy-body within a radius of thirty miles. She must be an old woman now." "Oh, I don't think she would like you to call her that!" exclaimed Timmy, and both his grown-up auditors laughed.
Miss Pendarth did not care for children, and though Timmy frequently came to her door with a note, he was very seldom invited inside the house. Even now his hostess said rather sharply: "Run out into the garden, Timmy, while I go upstairs and find an envelope big enough in which to put the paper for your mother. I daresay I shall be away five minutes, for I want you to take her a note with it."
It was at once a relief and a disappointment not to see the young widow's graceful figure, and her heart ached when she saw the cloud come down over Jack's face. All at once she felt a detaining gesture on her arm, and turning, she found Miss Pendarth at her elbow.
There's something I want to ask you." Unwillingly he obeyed. "I think you knew Colonel Crofton?" "Yes, and I liked him very much." "I'm afraid from what I've heard that she wasn't a particularly good wife to him." Radmore was surprised at the feeling in her voice, but he asked himself irritably how the devil had Miss Pendarth heard anything of the Croftons and their private affairs?
"Yes," said Miss Pendarth, "there is safety in numbers, and it's said that Colonel Crofton was almost insanely jealous. They seem to have led a miserable existence, constantly quarrelling about money, too, and often changing their servants. On at least one occasion Mrs. Crofton went away, leaving him quite alone, with only their odd man to look after him, for something like a fortnight.
The Pendarths had once been very great people in Cornwall, and long records of the family are to be found in all county histories. Olivia Pendarth was wordlessly very proud of their lineage, and it is no exaggeration to say that she would have died rather than in any way disgrace it.
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