Free Outbreak of Love by Martin Boyd

room, or walk along a city street; until that bloom fades and they are aware that something has gone from their lives, a brightness has left the air, but they do not know what it is.
    When Josie had greeted Uncle Arthur, and rather diffidently Cousin Sophie and the twins, as she had a vague feeling that they were the Enemy and had been unkind to Wolfie, Miss Rockingham spoke to her.
    â€œYou are the daughter of the composer,” she said.
    â€œYes, I am,” said Josie, a little surprised, as she had never before heard Wolfie called “the composer”.
    â€œWe are looking forward very much to hearing your father’s music.”
    â€œThank you,” said Josie, and Miss Rockingham laughed, which brought an extraordinary transformation to her face. Her sagging eyes crinkled up into a rich and twinkling mirth, which gave the impression of a capacity for immense enjoyment. She saw John looking at Josie with impatient admiration, and having like Diana a noble nature, which found some compensation in bringing to others the pleasures she could not have herself, she said: “May I introduce Captain Wyckham? Miss von Flugel,” and she left them together.
    By now all the guests had arrived, and the Radcliffes with Diana and Wolfie moved from the door and came over to join us. They talked for a few minutes and then Elsie Radcliffe said to Wolfie: “I suppose it’s time to begin.”
    We straggled towards the ballroom, where most of the guests were already seated on rows of hired chairs. Miss Rockingham was beside Dolly Wendale and she said with a note of approval and the slightest hint of surprise: “That woman’s a lady.”
    â€œOh yes,” said Dolly, thinking she meant Cousin Sophie. “She knows a lot of our people at home.”
    â€œYes, but I mean the other one, Mrs von Flugel.”
    Russell happened to be close behind them and he overheard this endorsement of his own opinion, as he felt that Miss Rockingham by the word “lady” meant something beyond mere upper-class savoir faire . He loved the highest when he saw it, and in her own métier Miss Rockingham was the highest, and he expected the highest to have all the graces, and to be possessed of some degree of creative imagination. Miss Rockingham had this gift, though she applied it solely to her own personality. Diana obviously had it, and when the former said that she was a lady she meant that she had a wide instinctive knowledge of what social life should be. He was disgusted with himself that he had not trusted his own initial judgment, but had allowed himself to be influenced by the airy gossip of the twins. There was no one whose endorsement of his appreciation of Diana he would value more than Miss Rockingham’s.
    â€œLet us cling to the noble and wealthy,” said Anthea, as we followed in their wake.
    We were unable to cling for long, as Mrs Radcliffe took the Government House party to some seats she had reserved for them in the front row, although as Lady Eileen had pointed out, except when in attendance on herself and Sir Roland, they had no vice-regal status. But this was the kind of mistake Australians were apt to make.
    Although we were separated from the noble and wealthy, I was determined not to be separated from the twins. Mildy had kept a seat for me between herself and Miss Bath, and she was patting it and trying to catch my eye, but feeling guilty and unkind, I pretended not to see her. Nobody knew why Miss Bath was invited to parties. She was neither entertaining nor ornamental. Her face was expressionless, except for a touch of impassive greed. Her skin was mud-coloured, her eyes darker mud-coloured and her dress of very good quality mud-coloured silk. Her necklace was of polished New Zealand greenstone. She also had been one of the neighbours in Alma Road, and people like Elsie had become used to her.
    Arthur was put in the front row between Lady Wendale and Miss Rockingham,