CHAPTER THREE
A young girl came in with a tray laden with a variety of cakes and sandwiches and placed them on the table.
‘Thank you, Peggy, I will look after this, you may go home now. I will see you in the morning.’
When Peggy closed the door behind her, Hilda said, ‘She is a lovely girl and comes in for a few hours a day but, unfortunately, I really can’t afford to keep her on. It is such a pity.’
The tea was poured by our delightful hostess who then proceeded to pass around the cakes and sandwiches.
‘I believe, Jonathan, that you are partial to pear tartlets. I brought some specially for you.’
I was amazed at this and said, ‘How did you know?’
‘Even in remote Derryinver we have our sources,’ she replied, with a smile.
Harris, ever anxious that the extraordinary narrative should continue, said, ‘You were saying that what followed next astonished you?’
‘Well, yes, this financial expert, Mr Finn, went on to explain that since the last meeting, two weeks previously, the level of interest in the shares of the company had continued to grow and showed no signs of abating. There was now an expression of interest by a major bank to purchase shares in the company and when word of this got out, the share price would rise significantly. He said that now was the time to buy shares before this bank began buying. He added that those who were that way inclined should speak to him after the meeting and the purchase of shares could be arranged. There was no doubt in my mind but that I had misjudged Nigel Plumpton and his intentions. He was obviously trying to give me an opportunity to make a handsome profit.’
‘In the meantime, one of the ladies, named Nora, came over and began to speak to me. She was very kind and explained to me how she had fared since she had first bought shares in the company. Once more, I was surprised.’
‘You certainly had your share of surprises for one day,’ I said, desperately wanting to get more attention from this lovely lady.
‘You are absolutely right, Jonathan.’
‘What was this surprise?’ asked Harris, again eager to keep the narrative moving.
‘She told me she bought five thousand shares in the mining company for £600 and sold two thousand of them six weeks after the purchase for £680. A few weeks later, she sold the remaining three thousand shares for 45 pence each, amounting to £1,350. In the space of two months, she had made a profit of £1,430.’
I had already done the calculation. My brand-new Morris Minor had cost me £475. In two months, this woman had made enough money to purchase three of them.
‘Did I notice a little interaction among you?’ asked Hilda Jennings, her lovely eyebrows raised.
‘Jonathan has this thing about his Morris Minor. For reasons best known to himself, he equates large sums of money in units of the price of his car, rather than in pounds and pence.’
‘Of course, you did purchase a car in Galway a few weeks ago,’ she said, smiling over at me.
Who was this lady?
‘So, the matter rests there?’ asked Harris.
‘Not quite. I had a visit from Nigel Plumpton two days ago. He called unexpectedly to the house. He was in the immediate area with some of his colleagues and a few potential investors who had come to look at the mine. They had finished their business and everyone had returned to Galway. Out of courtesy and because he was nearby, he called to see me.’
‘And the purpose of the visit? Was it business or social?’
‘I think it was a bit of both!’
‘I see,’ mused Harris, somewhat lost in thought.
‘He went on about the remarkable number of people who were interested in investing in the goldmine. It was a great opportunity for me to buy shares before news of the investment from the major bank became common knowledge. He described the further exploration that was in progress, and the expectation of further substantial discoveries being made. New machinery was arriving on the site any day now and would speed up the excavation. He told me that twenty miners were working at the mine, with basic equipment, and yet, despite that, gold was being found lying very close to the surface.’
‘Did you invest any money?’ asked Harris in a rather abrupt voice.
‘No. He did not ask me directly for money, but was offering me the opportunity to invest. I assume he is an honest man but I want to be certain of that before I part with any money. I am aware of the incredible things you have accomplished and how you have that uncanny ability to see things that others fail to see. Plumpton told me that the shares are ready to soar in value. Imagine if I could double my investment in a few weeks?’
‘Yes, that would be wonderful,’ I said.
‘Plumpton went on to say he was not interested in selling small numbers of shares to hundreds of people. He was looking for substantial investors, like me. In that way, the shares in the company would be held in a tight-knit group. If someone wanted to sell their shares, they would contact him and he would arrange the sale, either to another shareholder or some person would be introduced to buy them.’
‘He told me that the three ladies I had met at the meeting had committed to investing a further £20,000 each and he would be extremely surprised if they did not double their money within a few months.’
‘Surely you are not contemplating investing £20,000?’ asked Harris in an alarmed voice.
‘No, I don’t have that sort of money but I might invest a smaller amount. Nigel Plumpton then brought me to the place where the gold was found. It is only a fifteen-minute drive away and within no time I was standing close to the goldmine. I could hear the miners working away but Plumpton told me we could not go any closer as there was a risk of subsidence and it could be dangerous. He emphasised that when the machinery arrived, the entire operation would go to another level and that further quantities of gold would most definitely be found.’
‘Could we visit the mine before we leave?’ asked Harris.
‘Why don’t we go straight away? No time like the present,’ said Hilda.
~
We left Derryinver House and were heading out the road towards the village of Letterfrack when Hilda, who was sitting in the passenger seat said, ‘Take the next turn to the left and drive for a few miles in the direction of the village of Tully.’
‘Tully?’ remarked Harris. ‘Is that known as An Tulach in Gaelic?’
‘You have a knowledge of Gaelic? I’m impressed.’
The Morris Minor was not happy. It grumbled and moaned its way along this less travelled road and it took all of my skill to avoid the potholes that littered a route that was narrowing to such an extent that there was room for one car only. It did not matter, however, as we were the only ones out and about that afternoon.
‘Isn’t this just wonderful countryside,’ I said, ‘so peaceful and quiet, not unlike the Great Plains of America? It would not be a surprise if a bunch of Red Indians came a hollering over that hill, chasing a stage coach.’
To my astonishment, Hilda burst into song. ‘The Deadwood stage is a coming on over the hill.’ Harris, who a moment before had been sitting back minding his own business and puffing on his pipe, almost had a seizure when Hilda broke into song. Between bouts of choking, I think I heard the good Lord’s name being taken in vain. I looked back at him. He was speechless.
Realising the effect her outburst had caused she said, ‘I was at the pictures in Galway a short time back and saw Calamity Jane, a new American film. That song was in it. You should go, Jonathan, and take someone with you.’
I was totally taken aback by her suggestion and could not think of an answer.
‘Pull over here and continue driving slowly along that cutting in the road. The goldmine is close by.’
‘I don’t see anything,’ I said.
‘We have to go on foot from here.’
Harris was not too pleased to hear this and asked, ‘Is the mine far away?’
Hilda pointed into the distance. ‘It’s about a fifteen-minute walk through the bracken and scrubland,’ she explained.
‘I don’t have my walking boots on.’ replied a concerned Harris.
‘Mr Harris, boots or not, we are walking to the mine.’
How I loved this lady who, with a few well-chosen words, put Harris in his place. The walk was a pleasure and the underfoot conditions were not a problem. Hilda stopped and pointed to a small group of rocks that were spread along the hilly ground.
‘That’s it over there,’ she said.
We moved over to the rocks and as we drew close, we noticed a post hammered into the ground with a sign that read DANGER: MINING IN PROGRESS. The place was deserted. All we could see were seven holes in the ground.
‘The last day I was here with Mr Plumpton, if I remember correctly, there were only four or five holes. He referred to them as bore holes or diggings that were carried out so that samples could be taken from the ground. He, once again, made reference to the mechanical digger and the enormous difference it would make once it arrived.’
‘So, this is it,’ Harris said dismissively. ‘It does not amount to much.’
‘Nigel did tell me that progress is always very slow at the initial stages of mining as there is so much testing and technical work to be done.’
‘You are certain that gold was found?’ enquired Harris.
‘Yes, he showed me the letter confirming the quality of the gold that was found and there was an article in the local newspaper a few weeks ago. A few workmen who were digging at the site found three nuggets of gold lying almost on the surface. I have the newspaper at home and will give it to you when we get back. It explains everything.’
‘Do you have a copy of that letter confirming the quality of the gold found?’ asked Harris.
‘No, Nigel took that away with him. It was the original letter from the Assay Office in Dublin and he did not have a copy to give to me.’
There was little point in staying at the mine as there was really nothing to see, so we drove back to Derryinver and dropped Hilda off at her front door. She went in and came back with a newspaper.
‘Here you are, it’s all in there. My phone number is Lettefrack 26 and there is every chance you will get me in when you telephone.’
She stood at the front door, a picture of loveliness, and waved goodbye as we headed out the gate.
~
As we drove along, Harris read the newspaper article to me.
‘There was great excitement in Connemara a few days ago when gold was discovered, although the exact location has not yet been revealed. NPG Ltd, a company set up by Mr Nigel Plumpton, has been boring test holes in the area for a number of weeks. We understand that some miners, working on a test hole, found traces of gold and then uncovered three gold nuggets very close to the surface. The quality of the gold is of the highest grade and has been professionally assessed. A spokesman for the company said the outlook was promising and that it could be a very big gold find. The exploration work is to be increased in the coming weeks.’
I listened carefully to every word and wondered if this could really be happening in this small townland. If it was true, it would make a huge difference to the lives of the people living in the area.
‘This is all pretty vague, Jonathan, full of jargon that means little or nothing.’
‘That may be true but you can’t get away from the fact that it says the gold was professionally assessed.’
‘Yes, there is that, but I just wonder.’
I was somewhat perplexed; what was there to wonder about?
‘This whole operation appears to be moving along at a steady pace,’ I said.
‘Precisely, Jonathan. Plumpton certainly appears to be confident that there is substantial gold in the district.’
‘Yes, and the gold nuggets the miners found prove that there is.’
We continued the journey home in silence. I was concentrating on the road and Harris was busy writing in his small notebook.
‘We will drop into the Major on the way, I’m sure he won’t mind me using his telephone. There are a few calls I must make and one of them is to Inspector Hennessy. Whatever else you do, Jonathan, don’t mention our visit to Derryinver.’
