The Pride of the Peacock (32 page)

They could eat like horses, those cattle men and miners. They’d come to me tired out with a day’s riding and longing for a taste of the sort of food they’d had at home. Stews they loved and there was always roast beef. A lovely bit of sirloin . that was the favourite . red and juicy; and they loved my potatoes done in their jackets. Done in the coals, they couldn’t be beaten. And a good beef stew swimming with onions and dumplings, and damper to go with |i it. and of course tea and everything. “

James interrupted by saying that as long as the field continued to yield good opal they were sure of a living.

May it be for a good many years to come,” said Ethel Ip^! fervently. | i ” It will,” Joss assured her. |i|t The funny thing was,” said Ethd, ‘that it was only a few days before the fire that this man came along.

”

“What man ?” said Joss sharply.

“Him who’d been with Desmond Dereham in America. He said Desmond had never stolen the Green Flash and that all the time it had been here in Australia. I wondered if that had brought us bad luck.”

“What utter nonsense,” said Joss sharply.

That’s what I tell Ethel,” agreed James.

“Well, it seemed funny to me. Whenever that Flash is about there’s bad luck. Look at Mr. Henniker. Who’d have thought that accident would have happened to him?”

“Accidents happen to anyone at any time,” retorted Joss tersely.

“But you see he had the Flash all the time it this man was right ..

and then he had the accident and now he’s dead. “

Joss said angrily: “If that sort of talk goes on you’ll have no cook shop All this nonsense about ill luck has got to be stopped and I’ll put an end to it.”

James and Ethel looked crestfallen, and I felt sorry for them and angry with Joss.

I said gently: “I’m sure nobody takes that sort of thing seriously.”

But they do,” snapped Joss, ‘and it’s got to stop.”

I smiled apologetically at James and Ethel and Joss said:

“We must be going.”

When we were out of earshot I said: “Need you have been so curt?”

“There is every need Those poor people have suffered a dreadful tragedy and you can’t even be civil to them.”

“I’m being kind to them. Talk like that could make the price of opals slump and cook shops with them. It’s something we have to fight against.”

“I see. Being cruel to be kind.”

“Exactly, and you object to it?”

“It’s a mode of self-righteousness which I particularly dislike.”

“I’ve discovered something.1 ” What? “

That there’s a great deal about me that you particularly dislike. “

I was silent and he went on maliciously: “You’ve burned your boats, I’m afraid. You’ve accepted the conditions of Ben’s will. Just think all this … and me too … You’ve accepted us. You’ve made your bed and now you must lie on it …” Again that mocking laugh.

Though I have to admit that’s a rather unfortunate analogy in the circumstances. “

I said angrily; “I came out this morning determined to like everything. It’s you who are spoiling things.”

“Isn’t that how it’s always been? Now had Ben produced a pleasant gentleman for you instead of me, all might have been as merry as a marriage bell as you see I’m in a quoting mood today.”

I said: “I think we should at least try to behave in a gracious manner, whatever resentments we feel for having been pressed into a situation distasteful to us both.”

“I believe that’s a good old English custom.”

“It’s not a bad one.”

“You set me an example. Pretend that all is well. It’s a great help.

Who knows, in time you may enjoy being here among the shafts and the gougers. And one day this is going to be a real town with a town hall, a church and a steeple. We’ll get rid of shacks and build proper houses and the calico tents will be gone. It’ll be more to your taste then. “Perhaps,” I said.

“Here are the Company’s offices,” he told me as we came to quite the most impressive building in the township.

“You’ll want to know what goes on in here as you are now part of it. It’s no use despising what you have a share in, is it? You’ll gradually find out what goes on, but this morning I’ll content myself with introductions.”

“I hope they won’t feel resentful towards me.”

“Resentful towards my wife! They wouldn’t dare!”

We entered the building. It was good to get out of the sun and enjoy a little respite from the flies.

There were several rooms in which people were working. Again I was aware immediately of the effect Joss had. There was no doubt that they were all in great awe of him. Ezra had gathered some of the heads of departments into the board room and there they were introduced to me.

Mrs. Madden is one of our new directors,” Joss explained.

There were six men present, including Ezra and Jimson Laud whom I already knew. Of the others I felt particularly drawn to Jeremy Dickson, blond, fresh-faced and not long out from England. Perhaps it was for that reason that we seemed to have something in common.

Joss explained to me that mining was only the beginning of the industry; there was expert sorting into categories and snipping and putting the stones on facing wheels; all these tasks had to be performed by experts. One mistake could mean the loss of a great deal of money.

These gentlemen,” ‘he explained, ‘are all experts in their various fields.”

As we sat round the table he told them the terms of Ben’s will and that Ben’s shares in the Company had been divided equally between himself and me, which made me of course an important figure.

He turned to me.

“You will no doubt want to acquaint yourself with all that goes on here that’s if you decide to take an active part.

It’s a decision you won’t want to make Ul 3 IlUJiy. 1 VU Vail Us. v. uuli7 CU&WT’ll1^ k}J t^AAV^ ^,uj vs.

Aw. ^ thing for you. “

“I feel I want to be able to take my place here with the rest of you,” I said.

My decision was applauded.

“In that case,” Joss went on, ‘we’ll have a run through of what has been happening during my absence. That should teach you something.

”

I sat there while they talked. Secretly I found a great deal of it beyond my comprehension, but I was determined not to allow Joss to score over me. I had already made up my mind that I was going to take my place in the Company and show these men, who I was sure had made up their minds that I would soon tire of it, that I could grapple with problems as well as they could.

When they had talked for about an hour and I was very little wiser at the end of it. Joss asked if I would like to see some of the departments or would prefer to return to Peacocks. If the latter was my choice he would send someone back with me.

I said I would see the departments. Jeremy Dickson was told to take me round. When he had done so he could ride back with me to Peacocks, for Joss would be engaged at the township for the rest of the day.

With Jeremy Dickson I saw how opals were sorted in one room and in another put under the facing wheels. I watched the men at work and Jeremy Dickson pointed out how quality was recognized. I learned to distinguish pieces likely to contain first-, second-or third-class opal from what was merely what they called ‘potch’. This was Jeremy’s particular forte.

I was fascinated by the snippers who were able to cut away worthless stone and, by means of whirring wheels which had to be used with the utmost care while the worthless layers were removed, reveal the beautiful colours beneath. One false move, it was explained to me, and a precious opal could be lost.

Later I was to see opal revealed in all its flashing beauty when the worthless stuff was whittled away and men almost weep with frustration when a stone on which they had been working was proved to be sand-pitted through and through, making valueless the beautiful stone which otherwise could have brought a big price on the markets.

It was a most interesting day, but one thing I knew Joss

was ngm about: it wouia nave oeen a nusiaKe lor me to try to absorb too much at once. After the heat and my experiences I was ready to go back to Peacocks.

Wattle was submissive as I mounted her, and although I had the impression that she was trying me out I didn’t think 0 I had offended her so far.

I enjoyed talking to Jeremy Dickson, who told me about , his home in Northamptonshire. He was the son of a curate, ^ which immediately made me sympathetic1 suppose reminding me of Miriam and her Ernest. He had come out to Australia eight years previously and had thought he might make a fortune out of gold as so many people had before him. , However, he had not done very well at this and suffered , many disappointments.

Then he had discovered opal and these stones had begun to exert their perennial fascination over . him. He met Ben Henniker in Sydney and in characteristic manner Ben had taken a liking to him and offered him a place in the Company. He had worked hard and soon found he had special skills which impressed Ben. Three years ago he had been put in charge of the department.

“And you enjoy the life out here ?” I asked.

“I love opals,” he replied. They do something to me. I can’t express how I feel when I see the colours emerging. I could never find anything to do which would give me the same pleasure. “

^ “Don’t you miss Northamptonshire?”

“One always dreams of home. There is, of course, a lot one , misses, when the day’s work is over mostly. But Ben was always aware of that and he did his best to keep us happy. We often had invitations to Peacocks. Ben used to ask us to dinner to discuss business and there were occasions when we’d all gather together there and have parties. We missed him very much when he went to England, but your husband carried on in the old tradition and when he went Home I was invited to call by the Lauds, which I found very enjoyable.”

w ai We had reached Peacocks and I said: “You’ll come in now, won’t you?”

w’re “J ” For half an hour, please. Then I must get back to work. But I shouldn’t like to call and not say Hello to Mrs. and Miss w Laud’ ^ I took him into the drawing-room and sent one of the servants to tell Lilias and her mother that we had a visitor. It was Lilias who came. I was amazed at the change in her.

i^ltc auuicu auu wi-. m. i. wavyoau, UKjimii^ uu^ uum. aava uux^u, which Jeremy Dickson took.

“I brought Mrs. Madden back,” he explained.

“You must be hot and tired,” said Ulias.

“Shall I send for something refreshing?”

“Please do,” I told her.

She pulled the bell-rope and asked for lemonade.

She had made it herself early that morning, she told us, and had stood it in ice so that it would be delightfully cooling.

We sipped and talked and I thought how pleasant it was. Jeremy Dickson was so English that I felt completely at home with him. As for Ulias, she seemed like a different person. I wondered whether she was fond of the young man since he seemed to have such an effect on her.

We talked of the township and what I had seen that morning and he told us about a piece of opal which had just come in and which could be wonderful if there was no flaw in it, and how breathtakingly exdting it was to watch the layers of useless stuff being removed to reveal the gem beneath.

Then Mrs. Laud came in.

She stood at the door looking ‘at us, her expression enigmatical and her eyes not on me but on Lilias.

“So Mr. Dickson has called,” she said.

“Yes, Mother. He brought Mrs. Madden back. The lemonade I made this morning has come in useful.”

“How nice,” said Mrs. Laud, her eyes downcast as though she did not want to look at any of us. She seemed nervous.

“I found it most refreshing,” I said, feeling the need to say’ something while I asked myself: Why are we talking about lemonade when something dramatic seems to be happening?

My eyes went to the proud peacock looking down on us with his disdainful stare, and he reminded me of Joss. Again I had the impression that I had stepped into a dream with a plot which was a puzzle to me but in this scene it was not I who was playing the principal part.

Each morning for the next three days I rode into the town with joss.

The first event on arrival was the meeting with the heads of department when the business of the day was discussed, with Joss presiding. If any finds of special interest had been brought in by the gougers on the previous day these were closely examined. Joss would always hand the rock to me with what I thought of as a superior smile and, as I

cxaimucu n, i aeiennmea to ieam quicKiy just to confound him. But that was not really my only reason. Each day I 3 became more and more genuinely fascinated. L I made a point of getting to know, as soon as possible, many of the people who worked in the building . the few 0 clerks and those who did their job at the benches. I talked to the miners when they came in and although at first I was ^ aware that they thought my presence something of a joke, v when they discovered that I wasn’t quite as ignorant as they 8 expected me to be they began to have a little respect. I was finding it all a tremendous challenge-not only to confute ^ Joss but to show these people that a woman was not only fit to manage a house and bear children, which I knew was ” what they were thinking. ^ I was most interested in the sorting and snipping and the work that went on at the facing wheels. As this was Jeremy J’ Dickson’s concern, I was seeing more of him than other members of the Company. There was little that was practical 0 about his approach to opals; he was a romantic.

On my fourth morning he boiled water on a spirit lamp in his tiny office and made tea in a billy-can. As we sat drinking v it he talked of opals and told me marvelous stories about them.

The ancient Turks,” he said, ” had a theory that a great fire stone was thrown out of Paradise in a flash of lightning. It ^ was shattered and fell in a great shower which was scattered over certain areas of the world. That is now opal country. “

His eyes glowed.

“Do you know, it used to be called the Fire Stone.

You can understand it, can’t you? That glow! Does w it thrill you, Mrs. Madden, hi a rather unaccountable way? Do you have to keep gazing and feel you could lose yourself in it? ” y ” I’m beginning to “You’ll get more so. I’ve often thought these stones have w some odd power because of the hold they get on people. It 31 seems to be universally felt that they have Some uncanny influence.”