The Black Opal (18 page)

Two days later Mr. Forman suggested that James go over and make sure that Jack Jensen was progressing well and find out if he wanted anything done for him.

James asked if I would like to go with him for the ride, and I said I would.

So we set out. Jack Jensen was getting better and said he could manage very well. We were given lunch and in the late afternoon set out for home.

We had a pleasant ride back. I was liking James more and more and he was very attentive to me, showing very clearly how much he enjoyed my visits to his home.

1 encouraged him to talk about his ambition, because I knew how much he liked to and, as he extolled the beauty of opals, my thoughts went back again to Commonwood House, and it was Lucian whom I heard speaking, for, on that strange day, Lucian had talked as enthusiastically about them as James was doing now.

1 brought myself back to the present with an effort.

James was saying he had several books on opals. I tried to listen, but I could not draw myself completely away from the past. Then I heard James say that it was time we started to move.

As we rode along, he sang the songs which he told me they sang on those Saturday nights when the miners were all together. Most of them were Christmas carols! Ringing the old year out and the new year in was the one I remembered.

James had a good tenor voice, which was very pleasant, and, as he sang the song, I fancied I caught a tone of nostalgia in his voice:

“I saw the old homestead and faces I love, I saw England’s valleys and dells, I listened with joy, as I did when a boy, To the sound of the old village bells.

The log was burning brightly, Twas a night that should banish all sin, For the bells were ringing the old year out, And the new year in.

“One day,” went on James, ‘when I have found the finest opal in Australia, when I have made my fortune, I shall go home. I shall find a beautiful house-an old one-a manor, I thinkin the country.

I should love that. Wouldn’t you, Carmel? “

“I think it sounds very exciting,” 1 agreed.

I could see myself in such a house, not with James, but with Toby, who would have given up the sea. He would be sitting with me in the twilight, telling me stories of his adventures on board ship.

James jerked me out of my reverie. I heard him say: “I suppose it’s there in most of us, that feeling for home. Genie’s got it badly. She

never lost it. Yes, 1 think that would be right in the end … when one has done all one has set out to do.”

He was certainly solemn, gazing ahead.

We had loitered quite a while and the property came into view just as the sun was about to go down. Mrs. Forman would be pleased. She never liked us to be out after sundown.

We galloped across the stretch of land which led to the house and, as we approached, James pulled up sharply.

Mr. Forman had come down from the porch and was talking to someone in an open shirt and trousers the worse for wear. I noticed the stranger was carrying his billy can without which few swag men were ever seen.

James gave an exclamation and said: “No! It can’t be.”

His father and the man turned to look at us.

“It is!” cried James, and his face was suddenly distorted with anger.

“What do you want here?” he demanded.

The man and Mr. Forman stared at him in amazement.

“This is the one,” cried James.

“This is the thief. Have you brought back the watch you stole?”

“James!” began Mr. Forman.

“I tell you, it is the thief. What insolence! To come back after ..

”

James slid down from his horse and approached the man menacingly.

“You may have shaved off your beard, but I’d know you anywhere.”

The swagman continued to look blank.

“Look here,” said James.

“Get going, and look quick about it.”

“James,” said Mr. Forman.

“Are you sure? This is a sundowner … and . “

“I tell you, I know. He’s tried to disguise himself .. but there’s

something about him I’d recognize anywhere. He’s come back to scrounge a meal and a bed, and he’ll be off with what he’s managed to steal before daybreak.”

“Look here, young man,” spluttered the swagman.

“Never seen you before in me life. I ain’t got a notion what you’re talking about.”

James moved menacingly towards him and Mr. Forman made an attempt to restrain him.

One of the aborigines who lived on the property came up, and James said: “Do you know this man?”

“Lost hair,” was the reply.

“Same man without hair, eh?” said James.

The aborigine nodded.

“Man thief,” he said.

“Take Missus watch.”

“Here, you dirty little Abo,” shouted the man.

“Get out,” hissed James, ‘before I get rough. You might like to return the watch you stole first. “

The man’s face was ugly.

“Turn me out, would you? All right. I’ll spread it. Go back to where you belong. And a curse on your land.”

With that he started to walk away.

James would have gone after him, but his father held him back.

“It’s best,” he said.

“No point in getting into a fight.”

“He had the watch.”

“You wouldn’t get it back. I don’t suppose there could have been a mistake?”

“No, there was not. He had a way with him. Besides, the aborigine recognized him. There’s only one way to treat his sort. Never give him a chance to cheat again. He’ll know better than to pay a return visit to this property.”

“I just don’t like turning a sundowner away,” said Mr. Forman.

“It’s the unwritten law here. Sundowners are supposed to be sure of food and a night’s lodging.”

“Not thieves,” said James.

“How could you let a man like that into the place when he’s already shown what he is?”

MS

“You’re right, son, but I can’t help wishing it hadn’t happened.”

“Forget him,” said James.

Mr. Forman turned to me.

“Well, what did you think of that, Carmel?”

“I thought James was going to knock him down.”

“Came pretty near to it,” said James.

“Come on, let’s get the horses in. I’m starving, if you’re not.”

There was a certain gloom over the house that evening. The encounter with the dishonest man had created an unpleasantness. Mr. Forman could not forget it was the custom of the country to treat such travellers as guests.

I was very tired when I went to bed, as I usually was after hours spent in the fresh air. It must have been about three o’clock in the morning when I was awakened by the sound of voices. There was a red glow in the room.

I leaped out of bed and went to the window. I saw that some of the outbuildings were ablaze. They were fortunately a little distance from the house. People were running across the grass and shouting to each other. I could not distinguish who they were, but I thought James and his father were among them.

I hastily put on some clothes and dashed to the stairs. The entire household was awake. I saw Gertie . white and frightened.

“What’s wrong?” I demanded.

“Some of the buildings are on fire,” she shouted.

And we dashed out.

For a few seconds, I stared in horror. The outbuildings were a mass of flames. Fortunately, the fire had not yet reached the stables.

“Come on,” said Gertie, and we ran towards the blaze.

It was dawn before the fire was under control. We sat in the kitchen and Mrs. Forman made cups of

tea. The men were talking about the damage that had been done. Mr. and Mrs. Forman looked stricken; and I had never seen such deep and frustrated anger as I saw in James. I knew that the work of years had been destroyed in one short night.

They were too stunned to talk very much. That would come later. Mrs. Forman seemed glad to busy herself with the tea and Mr. Forman sat silent, with a perplexed frown on his brow.

As soon as it was daylight, Mr. Forman and James went out to assess the damage, but we already knew how devastating it would be, and were not surprised by the verdict.

When Mr. Forman came back into the house with James, he said: “Ruined.

I don’t know what we shall do. “

“We’ll get by, you’ll see,” said James.

“We’ll be held back a bit, but we’ll manage.”

I felt inadequate, and that, not being one of the family, I must be in the way. Perhaps I ought to leave, for there was nothing I could do to help.

“You’re not in the way,” said Gertie.

“But it’s not going to be much fun here. Why don’t you go back to Sydney and come back when we’ve sorted things out a bit?”

It was agreed that that was what I should do, and James rode back with me.

As we went back, he seemed more ready to talk about the disaster than he had when he was with his family.

“You know who did it, of course,” he said.

“You think the sundowner …”

“If I could get my hands on him …”

“Don’t, James,” I said.

“It will be for the law to punish him. But you can’t be absolutely sure that he was the one.”

“Who else? He knew where to start it so that it could get well under way before we were aware of it. We know the fire was started deliberately. He had a grudge. He was there, wasn’t he? He’s a villain, that one. 1 think my father wished that we’d let him stay.

He’s asking himself

M7

what is the loss of a gold watch compared with all that damage. “

“You couldn’t have let him stay.”

“I don’t know. Imagine how I feel! It’s my fault, in a way.”

“No, James,” I said.

“You know that’s nonsense. You worry too much. I believe you go on blaming yourself for what happened in Suez that time.”

“That was a pretty awful thing to have done, too. Heaven knows what might have happened to you two girls.”

“Well, we came through it, and you’ll come through this.”

“We’ll manage somehow, yes. But it has made a difference. We shall have to sort things out. We’ve lost such a lot. I reckon it will take us a year, maybe two, to get back to where we were before the fire.”

“Oh, it was so wicked!”

“If I had him here …”

“I’m glad you haven’t, James. It’s bad luck. You’ll get over it. You and your sister and family. You aren’t the sort to let it defeat you.”

“I hope so. You know, I had set my heart on going to Lightning Ridge.

I can’t go now. You see that. “

I nodded.

“I was going to leave in the New Year.”

“Oh, James, I’m so sorry. I know it meant a lot to you.”

“I don’t want to farm, Carmel. I don’t think I ever did. I suppose I don’t see myself getting old in a place like this. 1 thought I could settle at first and, leaving England and going off … well, it all seems so exciting when you are young. Then, when I heard what could be done here … gold … opals. It was gold that I thought of first, and then I got set on these opals. You see, it became a dream. I knew it could be. And now … now …”

“It’s only a temporary setback, James. In a year or so, you’ll be back to normal, and then you will be able to go and try your luck.”

“You’re a comfort, Carmel.”

“I’m glad to be that.”

We rode on in silence for a while; and when we came in sight of the harbour, he said: “Carmel, you’ll come again soon?”

“Yes. As soon as this has settled down. Don’t forget, Christmas is coming. You must not disappoint Elsie. She has set her heart on this party she’s giving for Gertie and me.”

And so we parted.

Elsie wanted to hear all the details about the tragedy at the Formans’.

“James was right,” she said.

“Certainly they should not let that man into the place. What a terrible thing to happen! I hope that fellow gets what’s coming to him. He certainly deserves something pretty bad.”

“Mr. Forman was very worried, because he knows the unwritten law about sun downers Gertie thought it might be unlucky to turn one away, however wicked they are.”

Elsie laughed derisively.

“That’s a lot of nonsense. Unwritten laws here don’t apply to scoundrels, I can tell you. Why, people here would be ready to lynch that man for what he did. There’s certainly no need for the Formans to worry about turning him off the property. It’s what he did to them that would be the trouble. I am sorry for the Formans.

To have worked so hard and then to have that done to them overnight!

We’ll have to see if there’s anything we can do. We’ll ask Gertie over, if they can spare her. She’s not going to be much use putting up new buildings and suchlike. She might be glad to come here for a while. “

Elsie could see how shocked I had been, and she felt 1 needed something to stop me from brooding too much on

that terrible night. No doubt she thought the best thing was to concentrate on the party. Everyone was going to be cheered up with that. It was going to be such a party as they had never seen in these parts before.

There was a great deal to do, she said. She wanted to have everything just right. The food . the dance floor . all the young people she could muster.

And Toby would be home. The party would not be until then.

“We’ll cheer them up a bit. Poor James. I’m sorry for him.” I had told her about his plans to mine for opals.

“He’s a good lad,” she continued.

“I like James.”

“He has such a conscience,” I said.

“You know, he still thinks about Suez. Now he is going to worry about this. He says it would have been better if that man had stayed, even if he had robbed them, rather than do all this damage.”

Elsie snorted.

“He did the right thing in turning him away.”

“But because of it he can’t go to Lightning Ridge and make his fortune.”

“The chances are that there will be no fortune. For every one who comes out of those places with one, there’s a thousand who are disappointed. So perhaps it’s all to the good in the long run. Life has a way of laughing at people, and bad can often turn out to be good and be what they call a blessing in disguise, and good luck can be disaster.”