9

The death of Henry made a stir in Melbourne. There was a crowded memorial service in the cathedral, at which the old Dean preached an eloquent sermon, extolling Henry as a member of a family, whose name was a hall-mark of talent and character, and comparing him with the new politicians and men of position, to the great detriment of the latter.

Sim came out of the church and found himself standing near Ada. He had not seen her for some time and seldom went to her house in Anderson Street, South Yarra, as he did not care for Florez. If he went, he waited outside in his dog-cart and sent the groom to find out whether Florez were at home. On being informed that he was out, Sim would go in and see Ada.

To-day she was alone. Florez was at San Dominique, where Don Gomez was lying ill. Sim watched her profile as she was standing waiting for her carriage. Her head was thrown back a little, and the sun caught the gold in her hair, brushed behind her small delicate ears. Her pale blue eyes were wide and moist in their black lashes, but there was a kind of hardness in their expression as if she disdained her own emotion. Sim noticed her fine hands in their well-fitting black gloves. Her hands and the grace of her bearing she inherited from Letitia, but her face was pure Montfort. At her throat was a mourning brooch of black enamel and pearls. It occurred to Sim that she and himself were the only ones at that service in whom the true family characteristics appeared, in his view the traits of Madeleine des Baux. There was the half-contemptuous amusement at one’s adversities and one’s own shortcomings which had marked old Raoul, and a half-kindly and half-malicious observation of those of others.

Sim, in spite of his radical activities and his careless public buffooneries, had a great regard for ‘The Family.’ He felt Henry’s death as a loss to the family and he felt drawn to Ada, who was not only Henry’s daughter but who also, so it seemed to him, of all their generation, was most representative of the Montfort spirit.

He left Jane, who was escorted by young Simon, and asked himself to luncheon with Ada. She seemed a little surprised at his request. They drove in silence down the short steep hill of William Street and along to Prince’s Bridge, where they crossed the Yarra.

‘See the old Dean look at me when he was preaching? He only caught sight of me after he had extolled the Montfort name. He would like to pitchfork me into Hell himself.’

Ada smiled. ‘He is right about Hell,’ she said, after a pause, ‘it begins here.’

Sim looked at her, surprised at her sudden energy of expression. He changed the subject to the new Government House, the white walls of which were rising in magnificent imitation of Osborne, behind the trees on their left.

After luncheon Ada suggested they should walk in the botanical gardens. They sat down on an iron scat beneath a yucca palm. A scorching north wind had risen, and the sun glared over the gardens and the distant city. The trees made hard hot shadows on the lawn, which sloped away from their feet.

‘Don Gomez is not expected to live,’ said Ada. ‘When he dies, Florez wants to go to Spain.’

‘For long?’ asked Sim.

‘For good, I think.’

‘D’you want to go?’

‘I don’t know … I should like to see other countries. And it would please mama to have a daughter a countess in Spain. She would think it so romantic and elegant.’ Ada smiled. ‘I often wonder how she left her refined circle in London to come to this wild country.’

‘You don’t want to go,’ said Sim.

‘I don’t want to leave my relations, of course, but if Florez insists …’

‘Florez always gets his way, eh?’

Ada nodded, and then she turned away her head.

Sim awkwardly touched her arm; then he took away his hand and shoved it deep into his pocket and stared at the grass. After a few minutes of silence, they rose and walked back to Anderson Street, only speaking occasionally to comment on some tree or flower.