Don Gutteridge - Minor Corruption

Cobb could hear the wheels turning in Edie’spretty head. “I mean at mid-day,” he said.

“He told me he was gonna catch a bigtrout.”

“Down below the mill?”

She looked suddenly wary, sensing perhapswhat Cobb might be leading her towards. “I don’t know nothin’ aboutfishin’ or where he goes, except he went off almost every day inthe summer.”

Cobb was pleased with these responses. Beforeinterviewing Uncle Seamus himself, he felt he needed objectiveevidence of the old gent’s having gone to the Trout Creek ravinesouth of the mill. If he then tried to deny it, Cobb could rightlyclaim he had several witnesses – a gardener and two housemaids -who saw him leave the house. This in turn would strengthen JoeMullins’ claim of having seen the old man in that ravine – withouta fishing pole. If Uncle Seamus tried to say he had gone to theother favoured spot, above the weir, Cobb had statements from themiller and Thurgood that they were working on the weir and wouldhave seen anyone headed up that way to fish.

“Don’t fret, lass, you’ve been very helpful.”Cobb got up to leave, but spied a wooden box partway under Betsy’scot. “What’s this?”

“Oh, them’s Betsy’s things. I packed ‘em up,but her dad hasn’t come fer them yet.”

“Mind if I take a peek?”

“Go ahead,” she said. “I was just gonna tellyou about them anyways.”

Which probably meant that if there had beenanything untoward in the box, Edie had already removed it. Hepulled the box out and sat it beside him on the bed. All itcontained were a few pathetic undergarments, a yellow hair ribbon,an apron with the Baldwin crest on it, and a book of poems. Cobbopened the book of poetry. It was inscribed: “To dear wee Betsy,love, from your Uncle Seamus.” He was pondering the significance ofthis when a letter fell out onto the floor.

Edie gave a little cry of “oh” and tried tolook surprised.

Cobb ignored her and read:

Dear sweetest one:

I know how impossible it is to love one so

far above one’s station. I know also the pain ofwatching you

close up every day of my life. I see your beautiful,manly face,

your shining hair and your glinting eye as you walkever so

elegantly down the stairs each morning. I follow youthrough the

day with my heart aflutter and my breathing stinted.I swoon at

the sound of your voice, as pure as poetry, aslilting as an Irish

tenor’s. Your laugh turns me giddy and one glancefrom your

sea-blue eyes is enough ambrosia to carry me throughan entire

week. O my precious and unattainable knight!

Your faithful admirer

Betsy

Cobb stared up at Edie. “You left this here onpurpose, didn’t you?”

Edie blushed, then looked coy. “So, I did. Ithought I ought to destroy it, but that wouldn’t’ve been right,would it?”

“No, I suppose not. But this is girlishdrivel, isn’t it?”

“I wouldn’t know: I didn’t write it. But Itold you that Betsy was shy and a bit secretive.”

“You’re sayin’ she might’ve secretly been inlove with Uncle Seamus? The ‘precious knight’ in this letter? Puppylove, I’d say, wouldn’t you?”

Edie gave Cobb a scornful glance. “If she wasin love it was certainly hopeless. He never saw anythin’ in her,that’s fer sure.”

And yet, Cobb thought, she had deliberatelyleft the letter – unsent obviously – where he could find it. Whatkind of game was she playing at? It had already been suggested tohim that of all the housemaids it was Edie Uncle Seamus wasattracted to. But could much of the teasing and byplay have beeninitiated and encouraged by Edie herself? Was she in lovewith Uncle Seamus? And had he spurned her? Or merely kept theirrelationship on a proper plane, which would have amounted to thesame thing? Surely she wouldn’t want to see him accused of rape.But she might want to cause him some embarrassment as a form ofpetty revenge. The ways of women continued to be mysterious toCobb.

Whatever Edie’s motive – and at her age shemight not know herself – this incriminating letter was now in hishands. No-one other than Seamus came remotely close to thedescription of the lover therein. The letter itself suggested thatBetsy had fancied him from afar. Had he picked up on this fancy andcrossed the line with her? Had they set up an assignation? Had sheresisted, resulting in rape? Or had the affair actually continuedafter the original encounter until abortion had become a necessity?(After all, the letter wasn’t dated.) Cobb would soon find out.Uncle Seamus had better have some compelling answers to hisquestions.

“Thanks, lass, you’ve been a big help,” hesaid to Edie.

Edie looked as if she was not sure what shehad done.

***

Sixty-year-old Seamus Baldwin looked ninety. He wasslumped against the library table. He did not glance up at Cobb’sentry nor did he acknowledge Cobb’s presence when he sat downcatty-corner from him. He reminded Cobb of a circus clown he hadonce seen sitting behind his tent after the performance: all thestuffing gone out of him, all the bright colours of his smilemelting together, his very bones sagged and defeated.

“Mr. Baldwin, I must begin by saying thatsome very serious charges have been made against you, and I’vegathered evidence to back them from a number of witnesses.”

“I know. William just told me about theincident at the mill.” The voice was a hoarse whisper. “It’s thelast straw. That anyone would think that I would hurt my dear, dearBetsy.”

“I’m hopin’ we can clear this up by havin’you explain away some of the things I been hearin’ today.”

“If I must.”

“First of all, one of the mill-hands saysthat on the day we’re talkin’ about, August the third – ”

“I remember. The day after the tornado.”

“That’s right. This mill-hand says he saw youat yer fishin’ spot in the ravine below the mill abouttwelve-thirty or so. Were you there, sir?”

The reply startled Cobb. “Yes. I wasthere.”

“Without yer fishin’ rod?”

“That’s correct.”

My word! The man was admitting itoutright.

“How did you expect to catch trout withoutyer gear?”

“I was there for another reason.” Despite theman’s obvious emotional and physical exhaustion, a note of warinesshad crept into his responses.

“And what might that be?”

“I was supposed to meet Betsy there.”

For the assignation! My, my, Cobb thought,this is looking bad, bad indeed. “Why on earth would you wish tomeet yer housemaid there? You see her every hour on the hour atSpadina.”

“It wasn’t what you think, Cobb. Betsy sharedmy love of horses. She liked to admire them, those we have here andthose at the mill. I came to Spadina at the beginning of July.Betsy helped serve a dozen dinners and picnics that month. I took ashine to her. She was bright and literate. I wanted to help her getahead. Even before she came on steady at the end of the month, Ihad started tutoring her. She told me that her father was thinkingof buying a pony from Seth Whittle. She knew I knew a lot abouthorseflesh. She asked me to have a look at this animal before herdad bought it. She was afraid he might get swindled.”

“I see. But why the secrecy? Couldn’t youjust have gone over and had a look?”

“Probably. But she wanted to be with me. Shewas an excited little girl. Her father didn’t approve of herstaying on at the mill after she delivered his lunch. So wearranged to meet in the ravine and from there move up through thebrush to the back door of the barn, which was always open. Betsyknew nobody would be around.”