Mike Dixon

Kirstin wished Elizabeth‟s mother could see her now. But
that could not be. The poor woman had died when Elizabeth
was a baby. Humphrey had been shattered by her death.
Tim announced that dinner was served. He wore a
striped shirt and black trousers and had come equipped
with a chef‟s hat. Kirstin watched his antics with a mixture
of interest and amusement. He was older than David and
clearly came from a very different family background. But
what Tim lacked in social graces he made up for with a
quick wit and engaging personality. He evidently shared
Humphrey‟s passion for spicy food. The two of them had
cooked up some marvelous looking dishes.
Kirstin went to the table and sat down beside David. His
close presence rekindled old passions. The young man not
only looked like his uncle, he smelt like him. Charles Paget
had been her lover. There was no chance of marriage but
that hadn‟t worried Kirstin. Charlie wasn‟t the marrying
kind. Humphrey would never understand that. Like her missionary
father, Humphrey was blind to passion. She some-
times wondered how he had found such a lovely wife and
fathered a daughter by her.
A tom yum soup was followed by red chicken curry
cooked in coconut milk and accompanied by boiled rice and
side dishes. The last course was served and the plates taken
away. Elizabeth helped David with the washing up and
Tim helped Humphrey sample his extensive collection of
malt whiskies.
Kirstin returned to the journal and found a passage in
which Tong Yee described a fight with a rival group of Chinese.
They attacked his people with guns and swords. Tong
Yee knew he couldn‟t rely on the forces of law and order.
Those who hadn‟t locked themselves in the police station
were out in the streets with the white miners cheering the
two sides on, urging them to kill one another.
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