She sat down and. leaning her arms on the table, watched me.
"You'll find it a bit rough going out here. Bit different from the Old Country, I should reckon"
She was smiling at me maliciously.
I thought: Yes, I'll go into that township and find out what time the first coach calls.
During the day I felt a little better. I went for a walk after leaving Mrs. Maken and when I went back, which was about three quarters of an hour later. Felicity was up and William Granville was just about to leave. He would be away all day. he said. "You ladies will have a little time to get your bearings, Millie will show you what you want to know, won't you, Millie?"
Mrs. Maken said it would be a pleasure.
As soon as William Granville had ridden off Felicity's spirits rose a little. The prospect of a day without him must have been a tremendous relief to her.
I suggested that we go and look at what horses were available and perhaps take a ride.
Felicity seemed pleased at the suggestion.
We found horses and were very soon riding from the house. I thought that in other circumstances I should enjoy exploring the country. There was an undoubted grandeur about it. I loved the wattle and the great eucalyptus trees fascinated me. and the wildness had a strong appeal.
"I'd like to ride on and on." I told Felicity.
"You mean as far from this place as possible."
I looked at her swiftly, "You'll get used to it." I said. "It's just that it is strange at first. Shall we see if we can find that township?"
"You mean the place with the inn?"
"Yes. It can't be so very far."
"Do you think you can find it?"
"Yes, I think so. There is a road of sorts. We might follow that and try to remember the way we came last night. I remember one tree which seemed bigger than all the others. There were some grey ones clustered together. Let's try, and hope we don't lose our way."
Felicity looked as though she did not care if we did.
I had meant to broach the subject of my departure but decided I would wait awhile.
"There must be quite a number of people working on the property,* 1 I said.
"Yes, I think so. It's so vast. Some of them live in places quite a long way from here. It takes several days to ride all round it."
"I suppose your husband will have to do that, after being away for so long."
She was silent.
I wished she would talk to me. I felt I could be so much more helpful if she did.
A man came riding by.
He said: "Hello there."
I recognized Slim.
I said: "Good morning, Slim. Is this the way to the township?"
"Right. Go straight on, past the clump of ghost gums."
"I remember those from last night's drive. Thanks."
He rode on.
"He was quite pleasant," I said. "They are probably all right when you get to know them."
Felicity said nothing.
"Look!" I cried. "There it is."
"What should we do there?" she asked.
"Explore."
We came to the inn. There was a post outside to which people could tether their horses.
"Are you going in?" asked Felicity.
"Yes."
"Why, do you want some refreshments?"
"No. But I want to make some enquiries."
I opened the door. There were several men sitting about drinking out of tankards. They all looked up as I entered with Felicity behind me.
I ignored them and went up to the man at the bar.
"Could you tell me what time the coach calls here on its way to Sydney?" I asked.
"Can't be sure of times on the road, Miss."
One of the men shouted: "Ten if it's early ... could be eleven ... or midday. You never know on the roads."
The men laughed. "Wheels come off," said one of them. 'They might have met Ned Kelly's ghost."
They all seemed to think this was a great joke and laughed among themselves.
"No use coming on a Sunday," said one of them. "There's no coach on Sundays. Nor ain't there one on Tuesdays. Mondays there is and Wednesdays and Saturdays. That's the little lot."
"Thank you. You are very helpful."
Again they seemed to find the situation very amusing.
We came out to our horses. Felicity was silent until we were riding away when she said: "You're going, aren't you?"
"Well, I wasn't supposed to stay, was I?"
"I did not think you would go so soon."
"I haven't gone yet. I just wanted to know about the time of the coaches."
"They would have known at the house."
"I just thought I should like to enquire for myself."
"Those horrible men ..." she began.
"They weren't so bad really. They did tell us what we wanted to know. I expect you get used to them in time. It is just their manners that are different."
"I don't think I shall ever get used to it here."
"Oh, you will."
"Annalice, you won't go home, will you, just yet?"
I hesitated. "It may be that I shall not be wanted. After all, I am only a visitor."
"I think ... my husband ... quite likes you."
"Oh, I hadn't noticed that. I expect he won't want me to overstay my welcome."
"Promise you won't go ... yet."
I was silent. "You know I came out here because I wanted to find out about my brother."
"Yes, I know."
"I'll never find out anything here."
"Just for a little while ... And you won't go without telling me, will you? I couldn't bear it if I woke up one morning and found myself—alone."
"I promise I won't go without telling you."
We left it at that. She had confirmed the fact that she was very frightened.
A few days had passed. I was beginning to know something about my surroundings, and the more I discovered, the more I longed to get away.
Many times I was on the point of telling Felicity that I must go. Then I remembered that I had been glad enough to use her journey out as a means of getting away. Now I could not desert her when she needed me. Only what I could do to save her from the man she had married, I did not know. It was just that I was company during the day.
I was growing accustomed to the hot midday sun; the swarms of flies which came from everywhere to pester us; the smell of cooking steaks. They seemed to live on steaks. They were part of the scene with the heat of the fire, the cooking dampers—a sort of leavened scone which they baked in the ashes—the hungry-looking dogs which prowled about and looked so ferocious until they got to know us. I was always taking scraps out to them so that after a while they positively fawned on me. There were lots of men about; they all had sunburned faces and wore straw hats—some of them with corks attached to them to keep off the ever-present flies. Sometimes the men would come to the house; or they would sit about outside or in the kitchen playing cards and drinking ale. There was much coming and going. There were sheep on the property—millions of them it seemed, because William Granville was "in wool."
Often, as Mrs. Maken had said, they cooked out of doors. They had great pails stuffed with paper and the meat was cooked on a grill over this; the fat from the meat kept the paper continually burning— and in any case they ate their steaks half raw. They sang songs: "Botany Bay" and something about a kangaroo; and when they saw us they assumed a somewhat jeering attitude which I believe was half resentment, half admiration.
William Granville was often with them. They would sit outside in the evenings and I could hear them from my room. They would laugh and talk in loud voices, often breaking into song—and drinking all the time.
I would lie in bed listening to them, telling myself that I was going to catch the next coach to Sydney. I would stay at the hotel till Wednesday and then I would take the ship to Cariba.
But when the morning came and 1 saw Felicity 1 knew I could not leave her just yet.