beautiful you’ll be glad you’re named after it.”
“You’re going to show me your opals ?”
That’s one thing I wanted you to come for. Now you follow me. “
He wheeled his chair across the room, in the corner of which was a crutch; he reached for this and hoisted himself out of the chair. He opened a door and I saw that there were two steps leading down into a smaller room, which was beautiful with panelled walls and leaded windows. There was a cupboard, which he unlocked, and inside this was a steel safe. Twirling knobs, he opened the safe and took out several flat boxes.
“Come and sit down at the table,” he said, ‘and I’ll show you some of the finest opals that have ever been gouged out of rock. “
He sat down at a round table and I drew a chair to sit beside him. He opened one of the boxes inside which, lying in little velvet hollows, were the opals. I had never seen such beautiful gems. The top row was of great pale stones which flashed with blue and green fire; those on the next row, also of remarkable size, were darker-blue, almost purple-and in the last row the stones had a background which was almost black and the more startling because they flashed fire with red and green lights.
There,” he said, ‘your namesakes. What do you think of them? I see.
Speechless. That’s what I thought. That’s what I hoped. Keep your diamonds. Keep your sapphires. There’s nothing anywhere in the world to beat these gems. You agree with me, don’t you ? “
“I have never seen a great many diamonds or sapphires,” I said, ‘so it wouldn’t be fair for me to be so sure, but I can’t imagine anything more lovely than these. “
“Look at her!” he commanded as, with a gnarled finger, he gently touched one of the stones. It was deep blue and there was a touch of gold in it.
“She’s known as the Star of the East. They’ve got names, these opals. The Star of the East! Couldn’t you see her, there in the sky just before the sun rises and shuts off her light. It must have been something like her that the wise men saw on that Christmas night years and years ago. I tell you this: she’s unique. They’re all unique, these opals. You’ll find others that you think are just like them, then you’ll see your mistake. They’re like people, no
two alike. That’s one of the marvels of the universe . all those people . all those opals . and no two exactly alike. And sometimes you find something like the Star of the East and you think of all you’ve suffered . for believe me a gouger’s life is no picnic . and you say it was all worth while. Now, for him who owns the Star of the East, it tells him the best is yet to come, for the Star is rising, you see, and wasn’t it there to announce the birth of the Christ child?
”
“So your best is yet to come, Mr. Henniker?”
You’re to call me Ben. Didn’t I tell you ? “
Tes, but it’s hard to get used to when you’ve been brought up not to call grown-up people by their Christian names. “
“In here we don’t care what was done because someone said it should be without rhyme or reason. Oh no. We do what’s right for us, and I’m Ben to you as I am to all my friends and I trust you’re one of them.”
“I want to be… Ben.”
That’s the ticket, and that’s the idea. The best is yet to come for me while I’ve got the Star of the East. “
I put out a finger and touched it.
That’s right,” he said. Touch it. Look at the light on the stone. And that’s not the only one. Here’s Pride of the Camp. A fine piece of opal there. Not quite up to the Star of the East, but a fine gem. She came from White Cliffs in New South Wales. A roaring camp, that was. Some prospector had been there and moved on; then some fossickers came by and started to tap round as fossickers do. And what happened? He finds opal… not potch … oh dear me, no. Real precious opal. What a find for a fossicker. Before the month’s out there’s a camp
“You’re going to show me your opals ?”
That’s one thing I wanted you to come for. Now you follow me. “
He wheeled his chair across the room, in the corner of which was a crutch; he reached for this and hoisted himself out of the chair. He opened a door and I saw that there were two steps leading down into a smaller room, which was beautiful with panelled walls and leaded windows. There was a cupboard, which he unlocked, and inside this was a steel safe. Twirling knobs, he opened the safe and took out several flat boxes.
“Come and sit down at the table,” he said, ‘and I’ll show you some of the finest opals that have ever been gouged out of rock. “
He sat down at a round table and I drew a chair to sit beside him. He opened one of the boxes inside which, lying in little velvet hollows, were the opals. I had never seen such beautiful gems. The top row was of great pale stones which flashed with blue and green fire; those on the next row, also of remarkable size, were darker-blue, almost purple-and in the last row the stones had a background which was almost black and the more startling because they flashed fire with red and green lights.
There,” he said, ‘your namesakes. What do you think of them? I see.
Speechless. That’s what I thought. That’s what I hoped. Keep your diamonds. Keep your sapphires. There’s nothing anywhere in the world to beat these gems. You agree with me, don’t you ? “
“I have never seen a great many diamonds or sapphires,” I said, ‘so it wouldn’t be fair for me to be so sure, but I can’t imagine anything more lovely than these. “
“Look at her!” he commanded as, with a gnarled finger, he gently touched one of the stones. It was deep blue and there was a touch of gold in it.
“She’s known as the Star of the East. They’ve got names, these opals. The Star of the East! Couldn’t you see her, there in the sky just before the sun rises and shuts off her light. It must have been something like her that the wise men saw on that Christmas night years and years ago. I tell you this: she’s unique. They’re all unique, these opals. You’ll find others that you think are just like them, then you’ll see your mistake. They’re like people, no
two alike. That’s one of the marvels of the universe . all those people . all those opals . and no two exactly alike. And sometimes you find something like the Star of the East and you think of all you’ve suffered . for believe me a gouger’s life is no picnic . and you say it was all worth while. Now, for him who owns the Star of the East, it tells him the best is yet to come, for the Star is rising, you see, and wasn’t it there to announce the birth of the Christ child?
”
“So your best is yet to come, Mr. Henniker?”
You’re to call me Ben. Didn’t I tell you ? “
Tes, but it’s hard to get used to when you’ve been brought up not to call grown-up people by their Christian names. “
“In here we don’t care what was done because someone said it should be without rhyme or reason. Oh no. We do what’s right for us, and I’m Ben to you as I am to all my friends and I trust you’re one of them.”
“I want to be… Ben.”
That’s the ticket, and that’s the idea. The best is yet to come for me while I’ve got the Star of the East. “
I put out a finger and touched it.
That’s right,” he said. Touch it. Look at the light on the stone. And that’s not the only one. Here’s Pride of the Camp. A fine piece of opal there. Not quite up to the Star of the East, but a fine gem. She came from White Cliffs in New South Wales. A roaring camp, that was. Some prospector had been there and moved on; then some fossickers came by and started to tap round as fossickers do. And what happened? He finds opal… not potch … oh dear me, no. Real precious opal. What a find for a fossicker. Before the month’s out there’s a camp
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