Sydney Bridge Upside Down by David Ballantyne

her people in the city? She’d have to ring from the store. Be glad to take her there.’
    ‘That’s very very kind of you, Mr Wiggins,’ said Caroline. ‘But I don’t think I’ll need to ring home. They know where I am. They won’t expect a call.’
    ‘Be glad to give you a lift,’ he told her. ‘Say you want to go shopping at Bonnie Brae. Have they told you about Bonnie Brae?’
    ‘Not yet,’ said Caroline, smiling at Dad.
    ‘Give us a chance,’ Dad told Mr Wiggins. ‘Caroline only got here this afternoon.’
    ‘Bonnie Brae’s where I operate from, Miss Selby,’ said Mr Wiggins. ‘Nearest thing to a town in this part of the country. What about the carnival? There’s the anniversary carnival soon. You might appreciate a lift to the carnival.’
    ‘Sandy Kelly usually takes us in the Reo,’ Dad said. ‘There’ll be room for Caroline.’
    ‘Bumpy ride in the Reo, Miss Selby,’ said Mr Wiggins. ‘Road’s rough, some risky bends, long drop to the sea if a driver doesn’t watch out. We’ve lost a few drivers off that road.’
    ‘Sandy’s done the run for years,’ Dad said. ‘He hasn’t struck trouble yet. I think we can risk him again. But thanks for the offer, Chick. Very generous of you.’
    ‘Any time,’ Mr Wiggins said. ‘What about the races, Miss Selby? You interested in racing? Meeting at Bonnie Brae onSaturday week. You might appreciate a lift to the races.’
    ‘I’m not fond of racing,’ Caroline said. ‘I went once. I’ve never been again.’
    Mr Wiggins, looking enormously interested, leaned over the table. ‘Is that a fact? What didn’t you like about the races, Miss Selby?’
    ‘I can’t remember,’ she said. ‘I do remember that I didn’t enjoy being there.’
    ‘Is that a fact?’ said Mr Wiggins. ‘Is that a fact?’
    ‘Drop dead,’ said Caroline.
    At least, that was what I imagined she said when I saw her mouth open twice while Mr Wiggins gazed at her. She did not speak, she just shaped the words. I must have been mistaken about the words she chose, of course. Because she was smiling and still looking nice. I wouldn’t have blamed her for being angry because I thought Mr Wiggins was damned cheeky with his talk of taking her places, and I could see Dad was annoyed at him too, anybody would think Caroline didn’t have relations eager to show her around, anybody would think we needed Mr Wiggins and his rattly van.
    Dad asked: ‘Who told you Caroline was here, Chick?’
    Mr Wiggins said: ‘You can’t keep a pretty girl to yourself, Frank. Word soon gets around. No secrets in Calliope Bay, eh?’
    ‘I wonder,’ Dad said. ‘Take Dalloway the teacher. Lot we don’t know about that fellow. Manages to keep things to himself.’
    ‘What do you want to know about him?’ Mr Wiggins asked. He grinned. ‘Reckon I know what makes him tick.’
    ‘Dare say,’ Dad said. ‘You get to hear more gossip than I do.’
    ‘Which of his secrets would you like to hear about?’ asked Mr Wiggins, winking at Caroline.
    ‘Don’t get the idea I care what he’s been, what he does,’ Dad said. ‘I was only using him as an illustration of people keeping things to themselves. It’s not that I care where he goes for his holidays.’
    ‘Well, that’s no secret,’ said Mr Wiggins. ‘He always heads for the city. Everybody knows that.’
    ‘Of course we do,’ Dad said. ‘That’s not what I meant. But never mind. Care for another cup, Chick?’
    ‘No, that should do,’ Mr Wiggins said. ‘I’ve got a long drive home. River might be bad too.’ He stared at Caroline.
    ‘Give us a shout if you get stuck,’ Dad said. ‘We’ll see what we can do.’
    ‘I’ll make it,’ Mr Wiggins said, keeping his gaze on Caroline.
    ‘See you again then,’ Dad said. ‘What were you saying about my order?’
    ‘Your order?’ asked Mr Wiggins, turning from Caroline, frowning at Dad.
    ‘Thought you wanted to know if I was going to up it this week,’ Dad said.
    ‘That’s