Kendrick, Jasmine’s husband, came up slowly, puffing his pipe; the children followed, a girl and a boy—the son towering head and shoulders above his father. Kendrick was never effusive in his affections but was greatly concerned about Camille, Raj and their family. His bland, smooth face and placid brown eyes did nothing to betray his feelings. The turmoil of living, of violent emotion, was not reflected in his expression. His humane instincts surfaced when it came to his family and friends. The aliens were the intruders and the trespassers. If one of the girls was too thin, he would say: ‘I say, Camille, are you feeding Savithri well? Is she taking her milk and eggs? Stand straight, my dear. Look, straighten up at the waist. My, how you’ve grown.’ And then he would query impatiently, ‘Now for God’s sake, Camille, what are you doing about that house of yours?’

‘I’m helpless,’ she would reply, ‘the tenants will not leave. I’m tired of fighting. I’ve had to pay off the mortgage. I have to keep the other pieces of land from being sold out of the family. I’ve sold my jewellery. I had to sell the furniture to pay off the bank loans. I’m going to sit back and live as if I’d never possessed it!’

‘Now come, come. For the children’s sake you’ve got to do something.’

Kendrick and Jasmine were always so concerned, not only about their own children but also about those of Camille and Raj. Their own children went to the best private schools which had been set up by the English missionaries. These schools were for the creme-de-la-creme of society. They were expensive. They imparted the best of English education. The girl had her ballet lessons and swimming. The boy had his tennis, cricket, rugger and body-building.

Kendrick knew the value of land, the inherited acres of coconut at Duwa. The estate flourished; the vegetables they grew, the prawns they caught in the lagoon, everything brought in money, but hard work went along with it. Jasmine even catered to the tourists who drove in for a day in the country, cooking food on the hearth with firewood collected from the estate, arranging the table with frangipani and hibiscus to give it an exotic setting. The lagoon yielded so much fresh fish and prawns and Jasmine delighted in creating these country banquets. The enormous koduwa fish was cooked in an earthenware pot and brought simmering hot to the table; it was flavoured with country herbs. The tender young coconuts were scooped out and filled with fresh fruit. She remembered every detail which contributed to the comfort of her guests. Coming in thirsty after a hot drive they were offered a choice of beer or fresh kurumba or thambili. She was enchanted by her role of hostess. They were both hard-working and had learnt the necessary skills to survive.