Chapter 18: Chapter 18
The family had moved from the hotel to a boarding house run by a Mrs Byers. Gabriel
was a frequent visitor.
Soon after the family moved in Mrs Byers accosted him on the stairs. She said, ''Mr
Fox I believe you to be a respectable young man and would do nothing to harm Miss
Taylor. But, to protect her reputation, I must lay down certain rules. While her mother
and father are away, due to Mr Taylor's speaking engagements in the country, you are
not be in her room with the door closed. You may sit with her in the Common Room
or go for walks together. But if you were together in a room with a closed door I
should have to report the matter to her parents,''
Gabriel accepted Mrs Byer's ruling without resentment. He knew how rumours would
spread if he and Amy were not discreet. But they had other things to think about.
They had finally found a time at which the partners could entertain the Taylors.
Morning tea was the best that could arranged because Mr and Mrs Taylor were to
take an afternoon train to Ballarat. This would be their third visit, a different church
each time.
The place chosen for morning tea was a restaurant run by Mr Hosie in Bourke Street
East, not far from the Royal Arcade.
Gabriel and Pryor arrived at ten o'clock and the Taylors were only a little later. As
soon as they entered the restaurant Amy ran to Gabriel and kissed him on the cheek.
''Amy!'' Her nother was horrified. Queen Victoria was on the throne and good girls did
not do such a thing. The young couple were not affianced. Even if they were engaged
it would have been unseemly.
Gabriel suspected that the kiss was to declare to all present that she was determined
to have him, and that any family resistance was useless. The mesage was for him too.
Amy was a sweet girl but, as he now knew, quite determined when she made up her
mind.
Tea and cakes were ordered, nothing further was said about the kiss.
Gabriel asked for coffee. Mr Pryor and Harold would have preferred beer or wine but
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the party was not in their honour, and they got coffee instead but Harold had a
brandy bottle in his pocket. Half an hour later the morning tea was going well though
Mrs Taylor was meditating what she would say to Amy in private. Messrs Taylor and
Pryor kept the conversation going by swapping views on the bible and Melbourne
real estate values. Harold was on his thirdcup of coffee and poured in brandy when he
thought no one was looking.
Amy and Gabriel were sitting in a little world of their own and he did not notice when
Mr Pringle, the chief clerk, came into the restaurant.
The man came to Pryor's chair and leaned down to his ear to speak confidentially. ‘Mr
Pryor, something very important has come up; could you step outside for a few
moments so we can speak in private.’
Gabriel noticed and was about to get to his feet. to learn what had induced the clerk to
leave the office, but Pryor gestured to him to stay and look after their guests. He
followed Pringle out on to the footpath.
The family pretended not to notice, though all conversation ceased while they
watched the two men who were talking in front of the shop window.
"What's gone wrong? Asked Pryor. Why have you come here and left the office
unattended?"
He saw, by the expression on his clerk's face, that the errand was indeed serious.
"Some more people came in today with subscriptions to the Society." Pryor nodded,
that was allright. "£50.13.6 in total. You said that anything over £50 should go
straight to the bank to be paid in.” Pryor nodded:, those were the man's instructions.
"I was just about to leave and some other investors came in; they wanted to subscribe
too
"Yes." Pryor waited tensely.
"Then you remember the brochures for workingman's cottage on easy terms?"
Of course he did. Pryor had written them himself and had paid good money to have
them distributed through the working class suburbs to supplement advertisements in
the Age and Argus. "Two workmen came in as well and they paid £10 each deposit on
cottages." The cottages were yet to be built but the brochures emphasised that when
finished the price would start to rise dramatically.
"By the time they had gone I had £95 so I thought it best to bank the money, even if it
did mean closing the office. That was what you said, Mr Pryor."
"That's alright," said Pryor. "It's not every day Mr. Fox and I have to leave you alone in
the office like that; but why come here to tell me? There may be more people
knocking on the door right now, wanting to give us their money, and they can't if the
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office is closed."
"I still have the money with me!" He produced the cash and a deposit book from the
leather bag he carried. "When I got to the bank this morning it was shut and there
was a notice on the door saying it would be closed to business until further notice.
James Pryor needed only a moment for this information to sink in.
Everyone looked round when Pryor re-entered, grim faced. He said, ''I am sorry
Ladies and gentlemen but our bank has closed its doors to business, Mr Fox and I
must go there immediately and find out what has happened. We hope to meet you
again when this has been sorted out.''