The Pride of the Peacock

7. PEACOCKS

Fancy Town had sprung up on the banks of a creek which Nature, by great good fortune, had set near the opal field. Some of the workers lived in calico tents, but there were a few huts made of logs or mud bricks with rough chimneys of clay or bark; and the shops were like sheds, open on one side that their goods might be displayed. After the wide open spaces it was rather a depressing sight.

It was late afternoon when we arrived and the excitement our coming aroused indicated that visits were rare occurrences. Children came running out to stare at us-rather unkempt, most of them, which wasn’t surprising since the only homes they had were those huts and tents.

A man called to Joss: “Glad to see you back, sir.”

Thanks, Mac,” answered Joss.

“Sorry about Mr. Henniker, sir.”

Joss said that it was indeed sad news.

Peacocks was about a mile from the town, and what a contrast to that poor place. We tamed into a gate and before us lay a drive of about a quarter of a mile to the house, which was built in the old Colonial style-gradous and shining white in the clean air. The porch and terrace were supported by rather ornate pillars which had a Grecian touch, but the house itself was period less-it had something Gothic, Queen Anne and Tudor about it-and the intermingling was not without charm.

A peacock appropriately appeared on the lawn followed by his meek little peahen; he strutted along beside the terrace as though asking for our admiration. The lawns were so immaculately kept that one would have thought they had been there for hundreds of years. In fact the immediate impression was that the house was posing as an ancient mansion, which it obviously could not have been, but was not quite sure which age it was meant to represent.

Take the horses, Tom,” said Joss.

“Who’s at home?”

Mrs. Laud, sir, Mr. Jimson and Miss Lilias. “

“Well, let someone tell them we’ve arrived.”

We dismounted and Joss took my arm as we went up the steps to the porch, David Croissant following. The door was open so we stepped into the hall. It was cool inside the house for the thin wooden Venetian blinds were slatted to shut out the fierce sunlight. The hall was large and lofty with a floor of mosaic paving all in peacock blue. In the centre was one large flagstone in which was depicted a magnificent peacock.

The motif of the house,” said Joss, following my gaze.

“Ben decided to call the house Peacocks and to have plenty of the aforementioned strutting around. I’d like to tell you that Peacocks will always belong to this family as long as there are peacocks here, but it wouldn’t be any use, for we don’t have those legends and old traditions here. We’re too young a country. One thing Ben was determined on, and that was that everyone who set foot in the house would know it was Peacocks. There’s something to remind you everywhere.”

There was a wide staircase winding up from the hall, and I saw a woman standing there watching us. She must have been standing there for some seconds listening to Joss’s explanation.

He saw her as soon as I did.

“Ah, Mrs. Laud,” he said.

She came down the stairs a tall, slender woman with fine greying hair which she wore parted in the centre and brought down to a knob in the nape of her neck. Her gown was of grey-high-necked with a very clean white collar and cuffs. The utmost simplicity of her dress gave her the appearance of a Quaker.

“Mrs. Laud!” cried Joss.

“I’ve got a surprise for you. This is my wife.” She turned a shade paler and clutched at the banisters as though to support herself. She looked bewildered and then a faint smile touched her lips.

“It’s one of your jokes, Mr. Madden,” she said.

Joss slipped his arm through mine and drew me forward.

“No joke at all, is it, Jessica? We were married in England. Ben came to our wedding’ She came down the stairs rather slowly. Her face had puckered a little, and for a moment I thought she was going to burst into tears.

She said shakily: The sad news of Mr. Henniker’s death reached us only a week ago. You didn’t mention . your marriage “No. That was to be a surprise.”

She came forward and I held out my hand which she took.

“What will you think of me? I had no idea … We have all been so sad.

We have lost a good friend and master. “

“I share your sadness,” I told her.

“I felt he was my very good friend.”

“Mr. Croissant is with us, as you see.” said Joss.

“We picked him up on the journey from Sydney. Are Jimson and Lilias at home?”

They’re somewhere in the house. I’ve sent one of the servants to look for them. I am sure they will be here shortly. “

“Mrs. Laud will be able to tell you all you want to know about the house, Jessica,” said Joss.

“I shall be very interested to learn,” I answered.

Mrs. Laud smiled at me almost ingratiatingly. I remembered what Ben had told me about her and was expecting someone of a more dominating nature. She appeared gentle and her voice was soft and soothing.

“I think we’d better have some refreshment,” said Joss.

“What am I thinking of,” said Mrs. Laud, fluttering her hands helplessly.

“I’m so shaken … by all this. First Mr. Henniker’s death…”

“And then this marriage,” said Joss.

“I know. But you’ll get used to it. We’ll all get used to it.”

“I’ll get them to make some tea,” said Mrs. Laud.

“Dinner will be served in an hour or so unless you would like me to put it forward.”

“We had chicken and Johnny cakes on the road,” said Joss, ‘so tea will do and then we’ll wait for dinner. “

Mrs. Laud opened a door and we were in a drawing-room. This had long windows which reached from floor to a ceiling, which was beautifully moulded; the room was lofty and the curtains were of the same tinge as a peacock’s feathers, but the daylight was shut out as the blinds were drawn. Mrs. Laud went to them at once and opened the slats so that the room was brighter.

My eyes immediately went to the picture of the peacock hanging on the wall. Joss’s did the same; our eyes met, and a tremendous wave of excitement passed between us. The Green Flash at Sunset was hidden in that picture and we were going to take the first opportunity of seeing it.

There was a cabinet in this room in which were black-velvet-covered shelves and on this were not polished stones but different types of rock with streaks of opal in them.

Joss saw me looking at them and said: That was Ben’s idea. Everything in there meant something to him. They have all come from different mines which were important to him. Ah, here’s Jimson. “

Jimson Laud was a man who I reckoned to be about Joss’s age; he had the same gentle manner as his mother.

“Jimson, this is my wife,” said Joss.

He was startled as well he might be, I thought. Joss grinned at me, obviously enjoying their surprise.

“We seem to have delivered a bombshell,” he said.

“Jessica and I were married before we left England.”

“Con … congratulations.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“I am so pleased to meet you,” he said, recovering a little from his surprise. He then said he had been deeply shocked by Ben’s death.

“We have all been shocked,” answered Joss.

“I’m afraid there was no hope of saving him. That was why he wanted me to go to England.”

“And there you met your bride,” said Mrs. Laud softly.

“Jimson works for the Company,” Joss explained to me.

“He and his sister Lilias live here in their mother’s apartments.”

“It’s a large house,” I commented.

“Mr. Henniker was always determined that there should be plenty of rooms for guests,” said Mrs. Laud.

“We often had a houseful. Well, here is my daughter, Lilias.”

How alike the family were! Lilias was a younger edition of her mother-meek, unassuming.

“Lilias, this is Mrs. Madden … our future mistress,” said Mis Laud.

Lilias’s surprise was as evident as that of her mother and brother. I caught her expression as her eyes rested on Joss and I was not quite sure what it meant. She was certainly overwhelmed by the fact that we were married. The expression was fleeting; it had gone scarcely before it was there and she was the meek girl of a few moments before.

"You’ll be staying for a while, Mr. Croissant, I dare say? ” said Mrs. Laud.

“For a couple of nights, I hope. Then I have to get on to Melbourne.”

“Has everything been going well while I’ve been away, Mrs. Laud?” asked Joss.

“Everything has been well in the house, Mr. Madden, which is an I can ^^ responsible.

Joss was looking at Jimson Laud, who said: There have been one or two spots of trouble in the Company but nothing serious. I expect you will be down there tomorrow. “

“You can be sure of that,” replied Joss. Tomorrow you must show my wife the house, Mrs. Laud. “

Mrs. Laud bowed her head.

“I shall be most interested to see it,” I told her.

Then the tea arrived.

“Shall I pour?” asked Mrs. Laud.

“I believe my wife would like to do that,” said Joss, which was dismissing her, I realized.

“Lilias will see that they prepare the rooms,” said Mrs. Laud.

“I’ll talk with you later, Jimson,” said Joss, ‘and then you can give me an idea of what’s been happening. “

We were alone with David Croissant. I could feel that joss was a little impatient by the manner in which his eyes kept straying to that picture.

I felt as impatient as he was. Very soon I was going to see the wonderful Green Hash.

David Croissant talked about some of the stones he had brought with him, a few of which he had shown us in Cape Town. He was most eager, he said, to see what the Fancy had thrown up lately.

“Not more eager than I,” Joss reminded him.

In due course we had finished tea and Joss said he would take me up.

As we mounted the stairs he said: “I noticed how your eyes kept straying to the picture. Were you thinking what I was?”

“I expect so.”

“At the very first opportunity we’ll look. I shall lock the door because I don’t want us to be disturbed. I hardly like to do it while David Croissant’s in the house. He’s got a nose for opals. I felt he was going to sense it in that room. We’ll choose our moment. Well, what do you think of your home?”

“I have seen very little of it yet.”

“It can’t compare with that of your ancestors, of course, but it comes pretty near it. I believe Ben had Oakland in mind when he planned this. You’ll discover several similar features. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, it’s said. Well, this place is a piece of flattery to Oakland Hall. So you should like it.”

“I like very much what I have seen inspection. By rights, you know, I should have carried you over the threshold. “

I ignored that.

“What do you think of the Lauds?” he asked.

“I thought that they were very unassuming … eager to please.”

They’re a sort of institution. Mrs. Laud came to work here . oh, it must have been quite twenty-seven years ago. She was a widow with two children. Her husband had come out after gold. He’d had some bad luck; he died and left them penniless. Ben took them in. Lilias was only a year or so old then and Jimson was about five. She’s been more than a housekeeper. “

“I gathered that ” She and Ben were very friendly at one time. “

"You mean. ? “

He looked at me maliciously.

“You wouldn’t understand,” he said.

“I think I understand … perfectly,” I contradicted.

“It gives them a certain standing in the household. Jimson was taken into the Company. He’s good at figures … quite a good worker but uninspired. ” And Lilias? “

“A pleasant girl… more talented than you’d think.”

“How do you know what I think?”

“My dear wife, I read you like a book. I saw your eyes on her contemplatively.”

“She seemed eager to please you. Is that why you consider her talented?”

“Of course. It shows her wisdom. Ah, they have prepared the bridal suite for us.”

He opened the door and, turning to me swiftly, swept me off my feet and carried me into the room. I did not protest because that was what I realized he was hoping I would do. I remained passive until he sat me down.

“Oh dear, oh dear,” he said, clucking his tongue. They’ve made the same mistake. ” He was regarding the big four-poster bed with feigned dismay. There is a dressing-room.” He slipped his arm through mine and took me to it.

“Designed for those occasions when all is not harmony between the married lovers. The bed looks uncomfortable. Moreover, its proximity would be distasteful to you.” He went to a bell-rope and pulled it.

Lilias been far off.

“Lilias,” said Joss, ‘will you have my old room made ready for me? I shall need it. “

She looked startled but I saw the speculative gleam in her eyes. I was again wondering what the relationship had been between her and Joss.

“I will see to it immediately,” she said. As she went out joss turned to me.

“You see what consternation you arouse in us all.”

I did not answer. My cheeks were burning.

A maid came in with hot water.

“I’ll leave you,” said Joss, ‘and I’ll come for you in just under an hour’s time for dinner. “

He went out and I looked round the room. The curtains were a light shade of yellow, the carpet a darker one; and there was a primrose-coloured counterpane on the bed and touches of varying shades of yellow, all blending beautifully with each other throughout the room.

It was indeed pleasant. I washed, changed into a green silk dress and wondered when the rest of my baggage would arrive.

Then I went to the window and pulled up the blind. The sun immediately blazed in. Looking out, I could just see beyond the grounds to the calico tents of Fancy Town. I imagined Ben in this house revelling-in the similarities to Oakland and looking out on the town which had begun with my father’s dream.

“Ben, are you satisfied now ?" I whispered, and I thought of the sudden fear which had come to me in the burned-out inn. I knew those fears were still there in the back of my mind waiting to emerge.

I longed for Ben then. I wanted to explain to him that when he had arranged our lives he had. not been aware of what danger he was putting me in.

I seemed to hear his laughter.

“It was a free choice, wasn’t it? You didn’t have to, did’ you You wanted everything the marriage brought you … both of you. You took what you wanted, well, now you must pay for it’ Oh Ben, I thought, you were a ruthless man and your son is the same.

You lived hard; you brushed aside those who stood in your way. Did you ever think, Ben, that I might be in Joss’s way?

What was this idea which had been creeping into my mind since I had had my nightmare in the Bush? It was almost as though it had been a warning.

When Joss came before dinner I was ready and waiting for him.

He said: The Lauds dine with us. They always have. You’ll have to get to like them. They’ll go out of their way to please you. Mrs. Laud is a wonderful manager. You can leave everything to her. We often have people in and out. for meals, I mean. She manages that sort of thing very well. “

The dining-room was panelled like the one at Oakland and had long windows reaching from floor to ceiling at which there were blue draperies bordered with silver. A candelabrum stood in the centre of the table and at either end was a decoration of variegated leaves which was very effective. Mrs. Laud had arranged everything very tastefully.

I saw her sharp eyes take in the details as though doubly to assure herself that they were as they should be. We were served with soup followed by roast chicken and these were excellently served.

I felt ill at ease because I was aware of a certain tension at the table. I had a feeling that there was a great deal I had to discover about my new home. I believed that beneath the surface was something which would change the entire atmosphere if it came to light. It was an odd feeling. When I looked in her direction I would find Lilias’s eyes on me; she smiled or looked hastily away and I asked myself whether I had been right in assuming she had some deep feeling for Joss and that our marriage was a great blow to her.

Mi’s Laud gave a kind of silent direction to the servants and I had the idea that she missed nothing.

I was mostly a listener at the dinner table that night, for the conversation was all about the Company and of this, of course, I had everything to learn.

Mrs. Laud said: Tom Paling was badly hurt when the wheel came off the buggy he was driving. He’d been up to the house to see Jimson and on the way back to the town the wheel came off and he was nearly killed.”

“Paling!” cried Joss. “Good God! He’s all right now, I hope.”

“He’ll never walk again. Jimson took over his work … and I believe the department is running better than it ever did before. But you tell Mr. Madden, Jimson.”

“Well, you see,” said Jimson, ‘this happened and we thought it was the end of poor Tom. He injured his back and he’s partly paralysed. I took over his work at once. “

Joss was clearly disturbed.

“Paling was one of our best men. What about his family?"

"They’ve been looked after, said Jimson. "You'll see tomorrow that nothing has suffered in the department.”

“Jimson was working day and night,” said Mrs. Laud, That’s a shock,” murmured Joss.

“What else happened?”

The Trants’ homestead was burned to the ground,” said Lilias.

“We know that,” replied David Croissant “We called there on the way here.”

“What happened to the Trants?” asked Joss. They escaped, I hope. “

“By great good fortune, yes. And they’ve set up a sort of cook-house in the town. It’s quite useful.”

“It must have been a terrible blow to them. ” It was. James was quite broken but Ethel rallied him and they got this idea and now they’re doing fairly well. It’s useful for those who are working in the offices. They can slip out and get a meal—and a lot of people buy cooked food to take away. “

“Some good has come out of it, then,” said Joss.

“I think you will find that some good has come out of Tom Paling’s accident,” said Mrs. Laud.

“I’ve heard that the department has never been run so well as it has since Jimson took over.”

That's just Mother’s talk,” said Jimson modestly.

“We’ll see; replied Joss.

“I thought,” went Mrs. Laud, “that you would want the Bannocks to come up to dine. You’ll see Ezra tomorrow in the town. of course, but perhaps you would like me to ask them for dinner tomorrow.”

“Isa will want to see what I’ve brought with me,” said David.

“Yes. I think it’s a good idea,” Joss said. There’ll be a lot of detail to discuss. ” He turned to me: ” Ezra Bannock is our manager-in-chief. He lives not far from hereabout five miles, actually, but that’s close out here. They have a homestead . he and his wife Isabel Isa. “

“So it will be for tomorrow then,” said Mrs. Laud.

That will do very well,” Joss told her.

“Oh,” cried Lilias, ‘we haven’t told Mr. Madden about Desmond Dereham.”

"What? “

Everyone seemed to be leaning forward in their seats . I with the rest.

“It came from the Trants,” said Mrs. Laud.

“Yes,” went on Jimson, ‘someone came to stay there just before me place was burned down. He had recently arrived from America and he said he had been with Desmond Dereham out there and’ that Desmond had died. They’d become friends and gone into business together, which was buying and selling precious stones, mainly opals.

Desmond was ill for some time, he was dying of some disease of the lungs and he told this man an extraordinary story about: the Green Bash. “

“What story?” demanded Joss.

“He swore he’d never stolen it. He said he had been tempted to and had been caught in the act of trying to take it by Ben himself. Ben had forced him either to face exposure or leave immediately, leaving no trace of his whereabouts. If he didn’t, Ben had said, he’d have him arrested for theft because he’d caught him red-handed. Ben told him that there’d be no future for him in Australia, he’d see to that. So he went to America.”

“And of course,” said Joss, ‘this story is being repeated all over the town. “

“People are talking of nothing else,” agreed Jimson.

“Apparently Desmond Dereham had said he had had nothing but bad luck since the night he had tried to steal the opal. He said that for a few minutes he had actually owned it because he held it in his hand and if Ben hadn’t come in and caught him, the stone would have been his … and that was why he had been unlucky ever since.”

“In that case,” said David, ‘where is the Green Flash? “

“According to Desmond Dereham it never left Ben’s possession,” said Jimson.

“In which case ifs either in England or here …” He was looking at Joss, “Unless you know …”

“I haven’t seen the Green Flash since the night it was sup posed to have been stolen,” said Joss.

“I hope people are not making too much of this story about opals being unlucky. It’s bad for business. Stop it when you can’ The Green Flash has had rather a history,” said David Croissant.

Well, don’t let’s dwell on it, “retorted Joss, ” I wonder if that fellow was telling the truth,” went on David.

“If so, it’ll be a matter of finding where Ben has hidden the Green Flash.”

“Would you like a little more of this apple pie, Mr. Madden?” asked Mrs. Laud.

“I made it especially, knowing it was one of your favourites.” , Joss said he would and began to talk about our journey out from England. It was clear that he was dismissing the subject of the Green Flash.

Coffee was served in a small parlour close to the dining room.

Tomorrow,” said Joss to me, ” Mrs. Laud will show you round Peacocks while I go into the town to see what’s been happening during my absence. Later on I’ll take you in and explain a few things to you.”

“That will be very interesting,” I said.

The bedroom looked very different by candlelight. He had called it the bridal chamber and the four-poster bed was overpowering. Of course it had never been a bridal chamber. The house had been built by Ben, and he had never married.

I sat down at the dressing-table and took the pins out of my hair letting it fall about my shoulders. Images passed in and out of my mind-scraps of conversation came back to me. The Lauds, so meek and unassuming, interested me. There was something I didn’t understand about them . secretive, was it? I thought of Lilias who seemed to watch me so intently. Was she emotionally involved with Joss? Jimson was meek enough but when they had talked about how he was conducting the department since Tom Paling’s accident, had I detected something. ? I wasn’t sure what.

It was clear that I myself was a little strung up emotionally. It had been such a strange day. Too much had happened and my imagination was running amok.

I took off my dress and put on a dressing-gown part of the trousseau which my grandmother had insisted that I have. It was made of red velvet and was I thought becoming.

I sat down at the mirror and started to brush my hair. My reflection looked back at me-wide-eyed, a little apprehensive, watchful, waiting.

I could see the room reflected behind me . the posts of the bed, the curtained window, the shadowy furniture and I thought of my room at the Dower House where my naughty ancestress Margaret Clavering looking down at me was supposed to provide a lesson. I thought how safe it was. Safe! That was the word which occurred to me.

Then suddenly I was so startled that I caught my breath and listened.

It was a footstep in the corridor. Someone was out there stealthily coming towards my room. Whoever it was had paused outside my door.

I half rose and as I did so there was a quiet knock.

“Who’s there?” I cried.

The door was opened and Joss stood there holding a candle in a silver candlestick.

“What do you want?” I cried in alarm.

To talk to you about the Flash. I think we ought to find it’ Now? “

The household is asleep. I was going to wait until Croissant had gone, but I’ve changed my mind. I can’t wait to see it. Can you? “

“No,” I answered.

Then there’s no time like the present We’ll go down now and see it.”

“And when we’ve found it?”

“We’ll leave it where Ben put it until we decide what to do about it.

Come on. “

I wrapped my dressing-gown more closely round me and he led the way to the drawing-room. He locked the door and lighted more candles. Then he went to The Pride of the Peacock, took it down and laid it face down on a table.

The spring Ben talked of would be somewhere here,” he said.

“Not easy to find, of course. That would have defeated the object if it had been. Hold the candle higher.”

I obeyed. Some minutes passed before he cried: “I have it. The back comes right off.”

He took it off and there in the right-hand corner of the picture was the cavity large enough to hold a big opal. Eagerly he explored the cavity.

“Jessica,” he whispered with a note of excitement in his voice, ‘you’re going to see the most magnificent thing you ever saw in your life . ” He stopped and stared at me.

“It can’t be … There’s nothing here. Look. Feel it. I put my fingers into the cavity. It was empty.

“Someone has been here before us,” he said briefly.

It was then, as we stood there looking at each other that I was sure I saw a shadow pass the window. I turned sharply but there was no one there.

“What’s wrong?” asked Joss quickly.

“I thought there was someone at the window.”

He took the candle from me and looked out. Then he said:

Wait a minute. ” He unlocked the door and hurried through the hall and out of the house. I saw him pass the window. I looked furtively over my shoulder, expecting, I did not know what.

In a short tune he was back.

There’s no one about. You must have imagined it I suppose mats possible,” I admitted.

“But I was almost sure…”

“Who could have known … ?” he murmured. Then he became brisk. The point is, what are we going to do? It looks as if someone discovered the hiding place before we did. We’ve got to find out who. and where the opal is. “

“How?”

That’s what I’m not sure of. There’s nothing to be done now but put the picture back and go to bed. I’ll decide tomorrow how we’ll tackle this. “

“It must have been someone who’s in the house or who came to it… someone who knows the house …”

“Ben was full of tricks. I wonder if he didn’t leave it in the picture at all.”

“But why should he tell us that he had Y"

"I don’t know. Ifs a mystery to me. The most likely solution is that it’s been stolen. But there’s nothing to be done tonight.”

He put the back of the picture in place and hung it on the wall. The proud peacock again faced the room as before, looking as though he had nothing in his thoughts but his own glory.

“I’ll conduct you to your room,” said Joss.

I followed him up the stairs and he left me at my door.

Understandably I passed a restless night.

When I arose next morning Joss had already gone into Fancy Town accompanied by Jimson Laud and David Croissant. I felt bewildered by all that had happened on the previous day culminating with the scene in the drawing-room where we had made the discovery that the opal was missing.

Mrs. Laud was waiting for me when I went down.

Mr. Henniker liked things done as they are in England,” she said, ‘so we serve an English breakfast. There are bacon, eggs and kidneys.

Would you like to help yourself from the sideboard. “

I did so.

“I trust you slept well.”

“Oh yes, thanks, as well as one can in a strange place ” And this is a new country to you. “

“I shall soon become accustomed to it.”

“Mr. Madden was very anxious that I should show you everything and if there is anything you want to change please say so. I have been running this household for twenty-seven years. Mr. Henniker was very land to us. My daughter Lilias helps me in the house. It’s a large place to run and so many people come here.

Merchants and such people when they come on business invariably stay here, though they are some times at the Bannock homestead. Managers from the Company dine here often when there is special business to discuss. Then there are certain gatherings . parties, you’d call them. Mr. Henniker was all for getting people together. The Bannocks are here a great deal. “

“I believe I am meeting them tonight.”

"Oh yes. ” Her lips tightened almost imperceptibly. I wondered whether there was something about the Bannocks which she did not like.

“I understand Mr. Bannock is the manager-in-chief.”

“Yes. He’s said to be very knowledgeable about opals. They all are, of course, but some are supposed to have this special gift. His wife is quite a collector.”

“I shall look forward to meeting them. Of what age are they?”

“He would be about forty-five. She’s much younger … ten years I’d say … though not admitting to it.” Again that slight tightening of the lips. I guessed she was not as calm as she would like to imply, but she was a woman, I guessed, who was determined to keep her feelings to herself.

When I had eaten we started on a tour of the house. I could not help feeling half amused, half sad because it brought Ben so vividly to mind. He had tried to make an Oakland Hall of this house and had of course failed to do so. The rooms were lofty; there was the drawing-room-and I couldn’t help glancing at the peacock on the wall as I went in-with the study leading from it as at Oakland, but that was really where the similarity ended. At all the windows were the essential blinds to shut out the fierce sunlight, so different from that benign and often elusive English version.

Through the different rooms she took me and it was true that there were a great many of them, and finally we came to the gallery which was a replica of that at Oakland.

“Mr. Henniker was very fond of this,” Mrs. Laud told me.

“He was anxious that it should be exactly like the one in his English home.”

“It is,” I said.

“Oh… there’s a spinet.”

“He had that brought out from England. Someone he was fond of used to play it. She died. So he brought it here.”

I felt emotional. That was the very spinet my mother had mentioned, the one she used to play and then hide when anyone came in so that the servants thought the gallery was haunted.

Ben had been very sentimental.

She took me to the kitchens and introduced me to some of the servants.

Several of them were aborigines.

They are quite good workers,” she told me as we came out into the gardens, ” but every now and then the urge comes over them to “go walk about” as they call it. Then they drop everything and go off. It makes them very unreliable. Mr. Henniker swore he wouldn’t have them back when they returned . but he often relented. “

She took me to the English garden which was walled in the Tudor manner such as Ben had had at Oakland.

“He used to say this is like a bit of England,” said Mrs. Laud.

“It was difficult, he always said, with the droughts over here, but he always liked it to look as much as possible like home. Over that trellis we grow passion vines, but he put the convolvulus there to mingle with them and make it homely, he said. You must see the orchard.”

There grew oranges, lemons, figs and guavas with vine bananas:

“Mr. Henniker grew a lot of apple trees too, but he always said they weren’t as good as those grown at home.”

“It seems as though he had an obsession for home.

” Oh, he was a man who could be drawn many ways at once. He wanted to live several lives all at one time and enjoy them all. “

“I think he succeeded,” I said.

“He was a wonderful man,” she replied.

“It was a pity he ever saw the Green Flash.”

I looked at her sharply and she lowered her eyes.

“It brings bad luck,” she went on passionately.

“Everyone knows it brings bad luck.

Why do they want it? Why don’t they let it alone? “It seems to fascinate everyone.”

“When I heard it had been stolen by Desmond Dereham I was glad … yes, glad. I said it’s taken its bad luck with it. Then there was Mr. Henniker’s accident. He was never right after that. Then he died. I thought that was because he had had the Green Flash and had to pay for having it … but if Mr. Henniker had it all the time that would account for it. And where is it now ?”

She looked at me steadily and I shook my head.

“It could be in the house. Oh, I don’t like that. I’m afraid of it. It will bring bad luck to the house. It already has, and we don’t want any more. “

I was surprised, for though she endeavoured to keep her emotions under control she was agitated. Before this she had seemed so serene.

“You can’t believe all these stories about bad luck, Mrs. Laud,” I said. There’s no real foundation for them. They just grow out of gossip and rumour. “

She laid a hand on my arm.

“I’m afraid of that stone, Mrs. Madden. I hope to God ifs never found.”

I could see that she was distracted and so was I when I thought of our discovery last night, so I suggested that I should go to my room and unpack some of my things which had arrived, and this I did.