We always removed our hats before entering a church: it is the custom
of the country, and we were without prejudices. If we saw a clergyman
wondering at the rapid growth of nettles and docks and wild heliotrope
over his little freehold, we took off our hats to him. I don't mention
this in a vain-glorious spirit, only once or twice we were looked on
with suspicion, and shown dirty finger-marks upon walls, and scratches
made with knives upon monuments, and detestable rhymes scribbled in
pencil, where they could be seen. We were shown some writing which was
discovered pinned to the altar after a strange "gentleman and lady"
had made the round of the church, and gone away. The verger apologized
when showing us the writing, which he did only in order to justify his
looking upon us with some degree of suspicion. We felt sorry for the
"lady and gentleman," and they might have been sorry for themselves, if
we could have talked to them for a few minutes in a convenient place.
The vicar came in and insisted on showing us his "treasures." They were
not many, and we wished them more, for his sake, he was so anxious to
make us forget having been told that a "gentleman" with a soft cap,
and a "lady" with no cap at all, should have been guilty of pinning an
indecent writing to God's altar. He pitied them; and Guy felt that he
would like to have the chance of pitying the gentleman with the soft
cap after a strictly private interview.
The vicar tapped the Bookworm, and would have us stay to luncheon.
They exchanged views, and talked book catalogues, and dry goods like
that. We got out into the grounds, which were a little paradise.
Something from all quarters of the world grew there, and in the open,
too--nothing to hurt them, winter or summer, in this charming place. We
got away from books and dry stuff at last, and found that our genial
vicar could talk other things.
"The _bien entente_, or _entente cordiale_, or whatever you like to
call it, which startled Europe, is so old a thing amongst us, that we
were set laughing when told of the new discovery--the diplomatic radium
of the hour," said the vicar, laughing.
"I thought you Cornish were very alarmed at French invasions, and hated
Frenchmen like the lost archangel holy water. What were the popular
stories with which you sent children sobbing to bed, about the Great
Napoleon?" asked the Bookworm.
"Stories innumerable, and they served a purpose. A thousand such
stories might be invented to-morrow, and some would be believed, with
a German, a Russian, or a yellow bug-a-boo for figurehead. But, let
me tell you, there has always been a link between England and France,
and that is the Cornu-Breton link. Cornish boats were often safe in
French harbours when Napoleon was fitting out his great Armada, and
Nelson driving Frenchmen from the seas. We wanted brandy and silks,
and the French merchants wanted money, so the _bien entente_ was all
serene. Then we wanted salt for curing, and there was nothing more
common in our harbours than French _chasse-marées_ laden with sea-salt;
and who more popular than the Breton sailor in a Cornish port, in
blue blouse and sabots, and pockets stuffed full of prunes, which he
shook out as he walked, followed by a queue of children singing, 'How
do you do, Johnny Crapaud?' And then, most touching, when Frenchy
and the little _mousse_, trusting themselves alone in Cornish lanes,
gathered bucketfuls of esculent snails for soup. The _bien entente_
was all right still, though there were wars and rumours of wars. The
Cornu-Breton link held fast when Cornwall raised its volunteers when
Napoleon the Third sent a thrill of fear through the land, when Fashoda
was a burning word, and when the Paris journals made the English blood
boil during the Boer war. And what was the Cornu-Breton link?"
The vicar paused, and then added: "The link is here. It is knocking at
my gate."
There was a chubby-faced youngster at the back door, in blue smock and
knitted cap, bending under the weight of the onions he was carrying
suspended from a pole on his shoulder.
"This is the Cornu-Breton link--onions followed salt, and salt brandy.
These chubby-faced boys invade us every year and 'dump' all the spare
onions they grow in their little gardens at home. It is their harvest,
and the brave little hearts, trudging in a strange land, with raw
shoulders, are welcomed everywhere, whatever the party passions of the
hour. It is a small link, but it is steel, and when London and Paris
were drinking champagne to the new sensation, we were buying our onions
off our little Breton friends, giving them milk to drink, and sharing
pasties, and giving them ointments with which to rub their poor little
raw shoulders, and then resting them in barns so that they might be up
and off with sunrise to sell their onions."
The vicar beckoned to the boy, who came and told us of his home at
Paimpol; this was his second season here, and next year he would not
come because he was conscript, and would serve on board a man-of-war.
His eyes glistened when he talked of meeting British ships, and the
Cornish bluejackets who knew him as a little onion boy. And they would
be friends!
Guy tipped the boy when no one was looking, and so did his best to keep
the Cornu-Breton link intact.
I do believe the good vicar was sorry when we went.
* * * * *
The people are not given to "hustle;" if the word has reached the
county, the thing hasn't in any great quantity. There is still a
blessed refuge in the world for men and women tired of "hustle" in all
its moods and tenses. Being on time at a railway station is genuine
distress to natives until they get used to it, and the language is
not strong in equivalents for "hustle." To make moderate haste is to
"hurry-all," to be in a genuine hurry is to be "stark-staring-mad." The
idea of smoothness resulting from leisure suits the Cornish genius
at home, and he has a pleasing word for it in "suant." When everything
is as "suant as oil," it is perfection itself. "Who carries the broth
must go suant," gives the idea of abundance of time in which to perform
an errand without mishap. To be too slow for anything is only to be
"asleep"--there is no anger in the reproach, just a gentle reminder,
that is all. Anything mouldy and vinewed is said to be "sleeping"--in
a delicious state of rest which it would be a pity to disturb. A
Cornishman only does one job at a time; when he talks he rests from all
other work.
[Illustration: MEVAGISSEY.]
Guy said he must have his hair cut; the Bookworm might please himself;
it might suit his style of beauty to be mistaken for an ancient bard.
The first town we came to we looked out for the striped pole, and there
was one outside a tobacco shop. It was afternoon when we entered the
shop with a partition running through it, so one half was sacred to the
"weed," and the other half to the performance of ancient rites. A green
curtain divided the double shop from the rear. The shop was empty,
but the curtain was half drawn, and we saw a man polishing his boots.
This was the barber, who finished his job, and met us, smiling. Guy
induced the Bookworm to take the chair first, because his hair being
darker would not show the illustrative finger-marks so clearly as his
own. Guy talked to the barber about boot-polish, and so interested him
that he stopped operations and talked. A man came in and propped up the
partition with a shoulder, and Mr. Figaro left his job and served a
packet of cigarettes. Then the new-comer began a story about one Billy
Tregarne who, falling down a clay-pit, was mistaken for the miller
by his own wife, who turned him to doors with much abuse and a "scat
in the chacks." It was all very interesting, but took time, and the
Bookworm was only half trimmed. The new-comer suddenly remembered that
he had left his shop open with no one to "mind" it, and walked away
as leisurely as he came. Then Mr. Figaro worked away, only stopping
occasionally to enjoy an inward chuckle; and when Guy went off without
being operated on, he seemed quite glad at having no more to do just
then.
In towns, tradesmen spend a good deal of time in their shop doors,
looking "up-along" and "down-along," or across the street, and hold
conversations with each other in their several shop doors.
The inhabitants live long and die leisurely. When one is a trifle
over-anxious people tell him not to worry, for "you'll live till you
die, like Nicketty Booth."
The man in the highway never misses a chance for a gossip, and will
give old nuts for news, to any extent.
"Holloa! my man; which is the way to Church-town?" Guy shouted to a
labourer, who seemed to be doing his best to prop up a hedge.
The man struck work at once and came forward leisurely. He eyed us up
and down, making a mental register of our marks. Then he seemed to take
an interest in us and our business.
"Going Church-town, art a?"
"Yes, and which is the way?"
"Want to see Farmer? Well, then, a ed'n home. Farmer had fine field
of wheat in ten-acre field, sure 'nuff, and he's gone to market. He
was drashing yesterday, and the drashing machine cut off Tom Curnow's
fingers. Ess sure, 'e ded."
"We don't want Farmer," said Guy, cutting in.
"Well, then, Tom Trebilcock? Tom's cow calved last week, and she's a
good milker. Didn't know Tom was going to sell."
"Never mind Tom; tell us the road, the way, the
what-you-like-to-call-it, to Church-town."
"There's passun's house close by the church, and passun's little mare
is a good un to travel. They do say----"
"How do we get there?"
"Ef so be you'm in a hurry you need'n go, cos Farmer's drivin' mare to
market."
"We'd like to get there in daylight," said Guy, gravely.
"Sartinly;" and then the man gathered himself together for a supreme
effort. "You do go through meadow-close, and plain-close, and then into
high-lane, and volly on, an' there you be, sure."
"But where is meadow-close?"
"Oh, back along."
"But where?"
"Back along to stile."
"Thanks very much, my good man, and may your shadow never grow less."
We left the man apparently wondering what sort of animals there were
at large who didn't know the way to Church-town. Gradually he unbent
himself, and went back to prop up the hedge.
In conversation a good deal of ground is covered in a non-committal
sort of way by illustrations well understood by the parties, but Greek
to any stranger. A worthy person who does mischief with the best
intentions is said to be like "Aunt Gracie's vear"--which means that
the little pig, with the best intentions in the world, sucked the old
sow to death. Few would suspect that "Betsy Bowden's leg" tells a
tragedy, but it does:--
"Old age and sorrows did she decay,
And her bad leg carried she away."
To have "Betsy Bowden's leg" is a very serious matter to those who
understand what it means.
"It's as well to leave high English at home," said the local doctor,
whom Guy picked up in his rambles. "I was asked by a woman on leaving
the house of a patient the other day what the matter was? and, in a
moment of forgetfulness, I said it was a case of 'strangulated hernia.'
'My dear life!' said the woman, opening her eyes wide, 'that's a very
different story to what I heard.' 'And what did you hear?' 'Why, I
heard that the man had a kink in his innards.' We meant the same
thing; but you must live amongst people really to understand and be
understood."
Sometimes a humorous situation is created, and the incident lives.
An officer inspecting volunteers wished to dismiss them. "Stand at
ease! Attention! Disperse!" The men stood still with wonder in their
eyes. "Disperse!" repeated the officer, and still the men stood still.
The sergeant saluted. "May I give the order?" "Certainly." Then the
sergeant: "Stand at ease! Attention! Scat up!" And every man went his
way, and the corps are the "Scat-ups" to this day.
A coastguard told us the story of a young officer of the kid-glove type
giving an order to the men in the maintop. "Maintop, ahoy!" "Aye, aye,
sir." "Extinguish the illuminator." "No such rope, sir." Then the
boatswain: "Maintop, ahoy!" "Aye, aye, sir." "Douse the glim." Light
goes out.
A bargain is dear to the soul of a Cornishman; only send round the
crier with the bell, announcing a sale, and he'll be there, and pay
cheerfully more than the things are worth, if only he's told that he's
getting a bargain. To get something for next to nothing is to be happy.
A man will walk two miles to ride one, and build his house out of shape
rather than remove a bit of rock which can be worked into the wall.
Much ingenuity is shown in using up odds and ends of things. A sailor
will tell you that any man can make a sail if he has plenty of canvas
to cut from, but the man for his money is the man who "makes do what
won't do." To throw anything on the scrap-heap as long as there's wear
or use in it, would make an average man turn green, and wish for the
better land. He's thrifty in the wrong place, and can't help it; but
once get him away from home and he develops and does well, as times go.
We were told that Bryant, of blacking and match fame, and Pears, of
soap fame, are not only Cornish, but hail from neighbouring parishes;
and Ralph Allen, the lucky, was born at St. Blazey. Ralph was a man
of many parts. He brought some order and method into our country mail
services, ran the Bath theatre, married a beautiful wife, and made
£16,000 a year out of a Government contract. Once outside the charmed
circle of his native land, a Cornishman gets on just as well as a
Scotchman, and is as thrifty as need be.
There is an ingrained dislike amongst the Cornish towards mean-looking
things, and things ugly or deformed. A well set-up man, with head
thrown back defiantly, and arms swinging, is forgiven much on account
of his appearance of strength and general can-take-care-of-myselfness.
A weak-looking man with a mean face must walk warily if he's to get
credit at all for the good that is actually in him. An elegant woman,
well-dressed, is immaculate; and a woman with an eye generous and
passionate has her sins condoned almost before they are committed.
But let a woman squint and be anæmic, short in nose, and long in
chin, a bit "hunchy" and out of shape, and goodness becomes an added
offence to her sin of living. "A poor, wakely thing," and "a wisht,
old-fashioned maid," are offences to the community, and are willingly
parted with. Downright ugliness in man or woman is looked on as the
devil's hall-mark;--"mark you the man whom nature marks," is a proverb.
The first question asked about a stranger is, what does he, or she,
look like? A great deal depends on the answer--a good-looking and
fair-spoken person may travel far and suffer no hunger in the land. The
devil is sin, and sin the father of ugliness, hence an ugly person has
the devil for father, and is treated accordingly.
The Cornish are a very hopeful race. Bad times depress, but there is
always to-morrow to look forward to, and to-morrow may be better than
to-day. Without this bank of hope to draw upon, the two main industries
of the county, mining and fishing, would have caved in long, long ago.
Contentment is another sign by which you may know the Cornishman at
home. If a man meets with misfortune, or a friend has gone under, he
sums it all up by saying, "Well, there 'tis." The phrase "there 'tis,"
is like a plaister of figs covering a sore, hiding much, but giving
rise to hope that a healing process may be going on.
"How be gettin' on, Jim, without the ould woman?" asks a man of his
fellow who has buried his wife. "Slight, sure 'nuff, at first, but
there 'tis;" and then he goes on about his work, as though the last
word was said upon the matter. Equally content is another aged pilgrim
who has lost the partner of his joys. "Do 'ee miss her, Bill?" "Ess,
sure." "Lonely, s'poase?" "Ess, tes lonely, but tes quiet." Bill was
content. "When the cyder is rinned away every drap, 'tis too late to
be thinkene of plugging the tap," is a little bit of old proverbial
philosophy which escaped Martin Tupper. The same spirit is in the
words, "Well, there 'tis," whether the cyder cask runs dry, or a mine
is "knocked," or a ship is wrecked, or a pitcher is broken. "Well,
there 'tis," says the victim, with the beautiful serenity of fatalism.
"There 'tis," and hope springs up amongst the ruins of shattered
hopes, and the Cornishman goes on his way again, trundling his own
wheelbarrow, without appealing to the heavens and the earth and all
that therein is to listen to his misfortunes. When he has a stroke of
good luck he's very quiet about it.
"I knaw he 'ave a chate somebody, he's so quiet," one man will say of
another on a market day.
[Illustration: A FISH-HAWKER.]