登陆注册
15481500000022

第22章 A Case for the Oracle(1)

The Oracle and I were camped together. The Oracle was a bricklayer by trade, and had two or three small contracts on hand. I was "doing a bit of house-painting". There were a plasterer, a carpenter, and a plumber -- we were all T'othersiders, and old mates, and we worked things together.

It was in Westralia -- the Land of T'othersiders -- and, therefore, we were not surprised when Mitchell turned up early one morning, with his swag and an atmosphere of salt water about him.

He'd had a rough trip, he said, and would take a spell that day and take the lay of the land and have something cooked for us by the time we came home; and go to graft himself next morning.

And next morning he went to work, "labouring" for the Oracle.

The Oracle and his mates, being small contractors and not pressed for time, had dispensed with the services of a labourer, and had done their own mixing and hod-carrying in turns. They didn't want a labourer now, but the Oracle was a vague fatalist, and Mitchell a decided one.

So it passed.

The Oracle had a "Case" right under his nose -- in his own employ, in fact; but was not aware of the fact until Mitchell drew his attention to it.

The Case went by the name of Alfred O'Briar -- which hinted a mixed parentage.

He was a small, nervous working-man, of no particular colour, and no decided character, apparently. If he had a soul above bricks, he never betrayed it. He was not popular on the jobs.

There was something sly about Alf, they said.

The Oracle had taken him on in the first place as a day-labourer, but afterwards shared the pay with him as with Mitchell.

O'Briar shouted -- judiciously, but on every possible occasion -- for the Oracle; and, as he was an indifferent workman, the boys said he only did this so that the Oracle might keep him on.

If O'Briar took things easy and did no more than the rest of us, at least one of us would be sure to get it into his head that he was loafing on us; and if he grafted harder than we did, we'd be sure to feel indignant about that too, and reckon that it was done out of nastiness or crawlsomeness, and feel a contempt for him accordingly.

We found out accidentally that O'Briar was an excellent mimic and a bit of a ventriloquist, but he never entertained us with his peculiar gifts; and we set that down to churlishness.

O'Briar kept his own counsel, and his history, if he had one; and hid his hopes, joys, and sorrows, if he had any, behind a vacant grin, as Mitchell hid his behind a quizzical one. He never resented alleged satire -- perhaps he couldn't see it -- and therefore he got the name of being a cur.

As a rule, he was careful with his money, and was called mean -- not, however, by the Oracle, whose philosophy was simple, and whose sympathy could not realise a limit; nor yet by Mitchell.

Mitchell waited.

. . . . .

O'Briar occupied a small tent by himself, and lived privately of evenings.

When we began to hear two men talking at night in his tent, we were rather surprised, and wondered in a vague kind of way how any of the chaps could take sufficient interest in Alf to go in and yarn with him. In the days when he was supposed to be sociable, we had voted him a bore; even the Oracle was moved to admit that he was "a bit slow".

But late one night we distinctly heard a woman's voice in O'Briar's tent.

The Oracle suddenly became hard of hearing, and, though we heard the voice on several occasions, he remained exasperatingly deaf, yet aggressively unconscious of the fact. "I have got enough to do puzzling over me own whys and wherefores," he said. Mitchell began to take some interest in O'Briar, and treated him with greater respect.

But our camp had the name of being the best-constructed, the cleanest, and the most respectable in the vicinity.

The health officer and constable in charge had complimented us on the fact, and we were proud of it. And there were three young married couples in camp, also a Darby and Joan; therefore, when the voice of a woman began to be heard frequently and at disreputable hours of the night in O'Briar's tent, we got uneasy about it. And when the constable who was on night duty gave us a friendly hint, Mitchell and I agreed that something must be done.

"Av coorse, men will be men," said the constable, as he turned his horse's head, "but I thought I'd mention it. O'Briar is a dacent man, and he's one of yer mates. Av coorse. There's a bad lot in that camp in the scrub over yander, and -- av coorse. Good-day to ye, byes."

. . . . .

Next night we heard the voice in O'Briar's tent again, and decided to speak to Alf in a friendly way about it in the morning.

We listened outside in the dark, but could not distinguish the words, though I thought I recognised the voice.

"It's the hussy from the camp over there; she's got holt of that fool, and she'll clean him out before she's done," I said. "We're Alf's mates, any way it goes, and we ought to put a stop to it."

"What hussy?" asked Mitchell; "there's three or four there."

"The one with her hair all over her head," I answered.

"Where else should it be?" asked Mitchell. "But I'll just have a peep and see who it is. There's no harm in that."

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 韩娱之琴弦

    韩娱之琴弦

    你我都是孤单的人生,这就是我们的宿命。为你舍命,为你痴狂,没有你我只是个异乡人。一场意外的车祸,让医生宋钟赫的人生从此逆转。想要恢复记忆,成为一名出色医生的前提,竟然是进入娱乐圈?成为明星人物,携着超高人气,他一步步登上事业的顶峰。成功后的宋钟赫却感觉自己在这个显得有些陌生的世界里活得像是个格格不入的异乡人,只有仅有的几个作为朋友的女团爱豆可以给他心灵上的慰藉。然而随着时间的流逝和往昔记忆的恢复,宋钟赫却发现,自己的脑海中,仿佛隐藏有一根琴弦,弹奏着一曲神秘的旋律。失忆背后的残酷真相,并没有他想象得那么简单......(已经签约,放心收藏。书友群号:214238642,欢迎大家入群交流。)
  • 网游之烽火战国

    网游之烽火战国

    每个男人都有一个梦,一个当将军的梦,当虚拟游戏热潮来临,你愿不愿意横刀立马随我一起征战沙场?
  • 王俊凯霸道爱

    王俊凯霸道爱

    就是讲述了王俊凯和殷紫馨的爱情小说,作者也是第一次写,请期待下面的故事哦!
  • 治霸寰宇

    治霸寰宇

    神界:自命六界主宰,代天受命。认为自己乃六界最优秀的种族,不耻魔界,因而两界发生无数战争,引发神魔两界仇恨。人间界:五大修仙门派,所有修仙弟子以除妖卫道为己任,不分缘由,不断斩妖。妖皇大怒,率众妖屠戮人间,导致人间一场空前浩劫,引发人妖仇恨。而各界之中,因为欲望、利益也在不断的上演仇恨的戏码。魔尊失踪,魔界各族大战,爱人身为魔界公主,无奈重反魔界。少年为寻爱人走上了魔界之途,也走上了破除六界仇恨之旅,因为这是他一出生就该承担的宿命。
  • 回家过年之求租男友

    回家过年之求租男友

    临近春节,回家过年是每个人心中最大的欢喜,可是对于一些单身汪来说可就没有那么高兴了,有的条件好一点可能会在春节期间安排好多的相亲,满意不满意就不好说了!有的条件差一点的就有点儿惨了,过年回到家不仅没有人给提亲,自己在外面也是找不到个合适的对象……小常是位公司高职,平时工作忙压力大,年龄不小了还是单身一个,这不过年了妈妈催着她回家相亲嘛,可是她为了拒绝这次没有把握的相亲就欺骗妈妈说有了男朋友,可是这个男朋友在哪儿呢?没有男朋友啊!所以这眼瞅着就大年三十了去哪儿找男朋友啊?有谁来给她想想办法吧!
  • 辣手狂兵

    辣手狂兵

    黄沙百战斩敌寇,狼牙之巅我为王。有着狼王之称的王牌特种兵卓伟,拿着一纸婚约来到了大都市,没想到绝色女总甩不掉,当红女星缠上来!
  • 福妻驾到

    福妻驾到

    现代饭店彪悍老板娘魂穿古代。不分是非的极品婆婆?三年未归生死不明的丈夫?心狠手辣的阴毒亲戚?贪婪而好色的地主老财?吃上顿没下顿的贫困宭境?不怕不怕,神仙相助,一技在手,天下我有!且看现代张悦娘,如何身带福气玩转古代,开面馆、收小弟、左纳财富,右傍美男,共绘幸福生活大好蓝图!!!!快本新书《天媒地聘》已经上架开始销售,只要3.99元即可将整本书抱回家,你还等什么哪,赶紧点击下面的直通车,享受乐乐精心为您准备的美食盛宴吧!)
  • 盛世药王精灵:傲娇小神后

    盛世药王精灵:傲娇小神后

    当现代的神医,因为一块小小的芯片,魂穿异世。成为精灵王的下一代。却意外逢魔族偷袭。流落在外。意外成为将军府不受宠的嫡女。宫庭一宴,才能初现。原本打算离开去寻找拯救精灵一族的法宝,却不知为何惹上了这位大爷。还竟对他产生一种莫名的情愫。行,你若为王,我便为后。“姒沫,我定为你这六界相聘,娶你一人为后”“你不娶我,难道还想娶别人吗?”勾唇一笑。
  • 一剑惊心

    一剑惊心

    花开花落,云逝云飞,几朝更替转眼即过,当下已是大明洪武二十六年,正值内忧外患之际,万民生死,皆系一人之身……
  • 旭阳置地

    旭阳置地

    一个被命运选中的孤儿来到另一个弱肉强食的世界生性散漫的他如何生存