Phryne is attending the academics cocktail party at Melbourne
University with Jeoffrey Bisset who had promised to show her the
departments treasure – the Book of Hours made for Mad Queen Juana
of Spain. Phryne eavesdrops on a number of conversations all more
gossip than anything academic. Bisset interrupts her and takes her to
see the book but she is waylaid by Gerald Street the Angelo Saxon and
Old Norse tutor. Phryne catches up with Bisset and they go to the
library to see the book where they meet the librarian Katz. When Katz
opens the safe the book is not there.
They call a meeting of the faculty and Phryne looks through the rest
of the contents of the safe which contains papers and the Deans
wife's pearls. She pulls out the Latin term papers and Bisset notices
a leaf that should not be in the paper. It is a couplet from Carmina
Burana from O Fortuna. Phryne asks what it means and Hoskins tells
her it means “in this hour without delay touch the beat of the
heart' or pluck the strings of the heart.
Phryne suspects the thief is distinguished as they left this clue as
oppose to a common thief who would have taken the pearls. Phryne
tells the faculty if they think someone has crept in and stolen the
book they should call the police but the faculty members are opposed
to the idea as they believe the thief must be among them. Phryne asks
who has connection in America and needs money.
Gerald Street tell her that Bradbury is bankrupt after trying to play
a system on the horses and Phryne says she will solve the theft and
when she does she wants to dine at the high table. The Dean tells her
no lady is allowed to dine at the high table and Phryne says she
will.
Phryne goes out to the courtyard and notices a piece of parchment
pinned to a tree. It says 'Tempora a lapsa volant fugitivis falimur
horis' Phryne recognises horis as hours. Phryne write Quare? (why?)
under the couplet and leaves the university.
That night at dinner Bisset translates the couplet for Phryne as
'Time that is fallen is flying, we are deceived by the passing
hours'. Phryne asks Bisset what he does at the university and he says
he is professor of English Lit and a tutor in the classics – Latin
and Greek. He says it gives him time to work on his book translating
the poems of Alcuin. Bisset asks Phryne if she would like to see his
work and says he had seen some of the original manuscripts but not
all as one family won't let him see one of the manuscripts. This
makes Bisset angry as he says knowledge should be free. Phryne asks
him who he thinks stole the book of hours and Bisset says he doesn’t
think it was Bradbury.
Phryne returns to the tree in the courtyard of the university and
notices another parchement which states 'Quis legem dat amantibus'
(what law for lovers) Phryne write underneath Render unto me Monmouth
and went into the faculty office to find Gerald Street berating his
copy typists. Phryne asks him about his investigating and he tells
her Bradbury denies it but was alone for a good few hours in the
library so had the opportunity. He asks Phryne if she could open the
safe easily and she shows him by easily removing the back of the
safe.
Phryne goes back to the courtyard and sees another note on the tree
which states Dolorous Gard. Phryne muses about the Arthurian legend
and the two castles Dolorous Gard and Joyous Gard. Phryne replies to
the note with 'usbis est libus' and leaves to bone up on her
knowledge of Arthurian legends.
The next day Phryne returns to the courtyard and finds another note,
this time Chaucer stating 'A knight there was, and that a wont thy
man … he loved chivalry, truth and honour, freedom and curteseye'.
Phryne is confused by this and scribbles on the paper give me back
the book or else and sat on a nearby bench to watch for the culprit.
Phryne notices the English building with the clocktower and the law
quadrangle that looked like a Gothic castle and has an idea. She goes
to find Professor Hoskins and drags him to show him along with
Professor Street. She then finds Bisset and a ladder. Phryne talks
the professors through the clues and says if the English building is
Joyous Gard then the law cloisters would be Dolorous Gard she climbs
the ladder in front of a knight carved into the stone and reaches
into the battlements where she produces the book along with another
note stating 'Ave, formosissima' (hail most powerful lady) an
invocation to Venus.
Phryne looks through the stunning book and asks how they could leave
it locked away in a safe. The professors agree to display it in a
glass case. The Dean asks who stole the book and Phryne says she wont
tell as she's doesn't know. She then asks Bisset to take her for a
drink to Noughtons.
At Noughtons she asks Bisset why he stole the book and he said he
wanted it to be displayed. He asks Phryne how she knew it was him and
she says that it could only be one of three people. Katz, Gerald
Street or him and he was the only tall one amongst them and the
parchment was pinned high on the tree.
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