sent out of England as a prisoner thirty-five years ago,” said Stirling.
“It had its effect on him. He’s going back one day … when he’s ready.”
“When will he be ready?”
“He told me once that he will know when the time comes.”
“He does talk to you sometimes like an ordinary human being then?”
Stirling smiled.
“I believe you have made up your mind to dislike him.
That is very unwise. Yes, he is human, very human. “
“And I’ve been thinking of him as a god!”
“He’s like that too.”
“Half-god, half-man,” I mocked because I remembered how Stirling had talked of my father, and I knew that he compared the two of them; and as, in Stirling’s opinion no one on earth could shine beside his father, mine suffered miserably in the comparison.
“Yes,” he went on, “Lynx is human. He’s a man … a real man, but much grander in every way than other men.”
“You tell me so much of your father. What of your mother? Does she subscribe to the general view of your father’s greatness?”
“My mother is dead. She died when I was born.” His face had darkened almost imperceptibly with some emotion.
“I’m sorry. I know you have a sister because she was coming to meet me. Have you any other sisters and brothers?”
“There are only two of us. Adelaide, my sister, is eight years older than I am.”
I wondered about Adelaide. I asked questions, but a very colourless picture emerged. He only glowed when he talked of Lynx. I thought of my own mother who had ‘gone away’;
.
“What of your mother?” I asked.
“Did she go out as a prisoner, too?”
“No. My father was sent to work for hers. Imagine the Lynx being sent to work for anyone!”
“Well, he was a prisoner then, not the great Lynx he is today.” I reminded him.
“He was always a proud man. I suppose my grandfather realized that.”
“Your grandfather?”
“The man my father was sent to work for. Very soon my father had married his daughter—my mother.”
“That was clever of him,” I said ironically.
“It happened,” he replied laconically, unsure, I believed, whether to applaud his father’s cleverness or deny his calculation.
“So he married out of bondage, one might say.”
“You have a sharp tongue, Nora.”
“I thought I was speaking my mind.”
“Certainly. But it’s a pity you must believe the worst of people.”
“I was thinking how clever he was. He was sent as a servant to work out his term of imprisonment, so he made his master his father-in-law.
I consider that clever and just the sort of thing I should expect from “How can you expect anything of him when you don’t know him?”
“I’ve spent quite a long time in your company and to do that is to know quite a bit about this wonderful man, for you talk of nothing else.”
“Very well, I’ll not speak of him. You asked questions and I replied to -them. That’s all.”
“Of course I want to hear about this wonderful godlike creature. But tell me more about your mother.”
“How can I when I never knew her?”
There must have been some stories. “
He frowned and was silent. There were stories, I decided, and he did not want to tell them. Why? Because I imagined they were not very flattering to Lynx.
“And did he never marry again?” I went on.
“He did not marry again.”
“All those years without a wife! I should have thought Lynx
would have wanted a wife. “
“You should not judge him until you know him,” said Stirling rather sourly. Then he changed the subject quickly and talked about the country. It would be the end of winter when we arrived for I must not forget that winter in Australia was summer at home. The wattle would be in bloom and I should see the fine brave eucalypts—red stringy barks and grey ghost gums; and we should have to travel north from Melbourne through parts of the bush. I was not listening very intently. I kept thinking of Lynx’s marrying and becoming his
“It had its effect on him. He’s going back one day … when he’s ready.”
“When will he be ready?”
“He told me once that he will know when the time comes.”
“He does talk to you sometimes like an ordinary human being then?”
Stirling smiled.
“I believe you have made up your mind to dislike him.
That is very unwise. Yes, he is human, very human. “
“And I’ve been thinking of him as a god!”
“He’s like that too.”
“Half-god, half-man,” I mocked because I remembered how Stirling had talked of my father, and I knew that he compared the two of them; and as, in Stirling’s opinion no one on earth could shine beside his father, mine suffered miserably in the comparison.
“Yes,” he went on, “Lynx is human. He’s a man … a real man, but much grander in every way than other men.”
“You tell me so much of your father. What of your mother? Does she subscribe to the general view of your father’s greatness?”
“My mother is dead. She died when I was born.” His face had darkened almost imperceptibly with some emotion.
“I’m sorry. I know you have a sister because she was coming to meet me. Have you any other sisters and brothers?”
“There are only two of us. Adelaide, my sister, is eight years older than I am.”
I wondered about Adelaide. I asked questions, but a very colourless picture emerged. He only glowed when he talked of Lynx. I thought of my own mother who had ‘gone away’;
.
“What of your mother?” I asked.
“Did she go out as a prisoner, too?”
“No. My father was sent to work for hers. Imagine the Lynx being sent to work for anyone!”
“Well, he was a prisoner then, not the great Lynx he is today.” I reminded him.
“He was always a proud man. I suppose my grandfather realized that.”
“Your grandfather?”
“The man my father was sent to work for. Very soon my father had married his daughter—my mother.”
“That was clever of him,” I said ironically.
“It happened,” he replied laconically, unsure, I believed, whether to applaud his father’s cleverness or deny his calculation.
“So he married out of bondage, one might say.”
“You have a sharp tongue, Nora.”
“I thought I was speaking my mind.”
“Certainly. But it’s a pity you must believe the worst of people.”
“I was thinking how clever he was. He was sent as a servant to work out his term of imprisonment, so he made his master his father-in-law.
I consider that clever and just the sort of thing I should expect from “How can you expect anything of him when you don’t know him?”
“I’ve spent quite a long time in your company and to do that is to know quite a bit about this wonderful man, for you talk of nothing else.”
“Very well, I’ll not speak of him. You asked questions and I replied to -them. That’s all.”
“Of course I want to hear about this wonderful godlike creature. But tell me more about your mother.”
“How can I when I never knew her?”
There must have been some stories. “
He frowned and was silent. There were stories, I decided, and he did not want to tell them. Why? Because I imagined they were not very flattering to Lynx.
“And did he never marry again?” I went on.
“He did not marry again.”
“All those years without a wife! I should have thought Lynx
would have wanted a wife. “
“You should not judge him until you know him,” said Stirling rather sourly. Then he changed the subject quickly and talked about the country. It would be the end of winter when we arrived for I must not forget that winter in Australia was summer at home. The wattle would be in bloom and I should see the fine brave eucalypts—red stringy barks and grey ghost gums; and we should have to travel north from Melbourne through parts of the bush. I was not listening very intently. I kept thinking of Lynx’s marrying and becoming his
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