But it had not happened and, as the rajah and Leon walked back down the new road towards the house, the Malay felt his love for Sir Ralph blossom up in him once more. The man, he told himself, was much too vain and much too ‘English’ in his soul to be admired entirely, but he was, in own peculiar fashion, a kind of hero, and Leon knew that his recent spate of anger with him was now past. He took the rajah’s huge hand in his and caressed it.

Later, Leon sat down and began calculating how much black beechwood, how much rattan and bamboo and how much palm leaf thatching would be needed for the three longhouses, how many cots and hammocks could be fitted into them and what space would be needed for cooking areas and privies. He then began on sketches – much like those he had done for the cannery – to be shown to the workmen. These were deft, almost like the drawings done by a professional architect, and when Sir Ralph professed his admiration for them Leon said: ‘You like them? Then you make me overseer of this hospital, my rajah. I will whip the coolie-boys and they will work very well.’

‘I hope there is no need of “whipping”, Leon?’

‘Whip with tongue. Keep everybody in line …’

‘Whip with tongue? All right.’

‘But there are two questions I do not know.’

‘What are they, Leon?’

‘First: silver. How much you give me, your overseer?’

Sir Ralph looked at Leon bent over his admirable drawings. The complex question of how he was to reward his lover for being his life’s companion had never been satisfactorily answered in his mind. He was in the habit of burdening him with gifts, some of which found their way into Taminah’s hut, but he seldom gave Leon more money than he needed. He thus did not know how to answer this question.

‘I will give you what we both think is fair,’ he said at last.

‘That is no answer. For how much is fair?’

‘It depends. Will the hospital be strongly built, or will it start collapsing at the first rains?’

‘You see my drawings …’

‘The drawings are very good.’

‘Then hospital will be good. No collapsing. And my job of overseer, very hard work. So you must pay.’

‘I will pay once the hospital is finished.’

Here, Leon set aside his sketches, took up a clean sheet of paper and drew on it an irregular shape, shaded to look like a small boulder, measuring five or six inches across. He passed this to Sir Ralph.

‘You see my new drawing?’ he said. ‘This is a picture of the silver you must give me.’

The rajah smiled. ‘And what will you do with this much treasure?’

‘I will get married. I will give a great banquet for my wedding feast. But don’t worry, my rajah, I will invite you!’

Sir Ralph laid his hand on Leon’s head and ruffled his gleaming hair. The gesture was intended to say, I know you will always be able to taunt me with such threats, but for now, I choose to let them fly away – mosquitoes that whine in the air I breathe but do not bite me.