Fox is a member of the Queensland Parliament and a big-wig among Brisbane businessmen. He has considerable civic and personal pride in the switch to electricity, which he sees as a great leap forward. I didn’t say that horses are a great love of mine, and to have them dispossessed gives no pleasure. Electricity, steam, internal combustion — for me none of these can compare with the living thing, none of them has the brain that allows a horse to make judgements of terrain and distance. Surely no sense of partnership can be possible with a machine. As we went about, Fox and Father spent some time attempting to impress each other without wishing to appear too obviously vainglorious. Like two bulls in a paddock, they had to test their strength. I couldn’t give a damn about the trams, electric or otherwise, but Conny insisted that I go with them so Father wouldn’t notice that I always prefer to be with her. I find little satisfaction in trailing around with him, being introduced to people I’ll never see again, and who have as little interest in me as I have in them.
