Поющие в терновнике

           Doyourealizeit’salmostaweeksinceI’veeaten?"

           "Thenwhydon’tyouhaveabath,putonacleandressandcomeoutsidetolookatDungloe?"

           TherewasaChinesecafénextdoortothehotel,whereLukeledMeggieforherfirst-evertasteofOrientalfood.Shewassohungryanythingwouldhavetastedgood,butthiswassuperb.Nordidshecareifitwasmadeofrats’tailsandsharks’finsandfowls’bowels,asrumorhaditinGillanbone,whichonlypossessedacaférunbyGreekswhoservedsteakandchips.Lukehadbrown-baggedtwoquartbottlesofbeerfromthehotelandinsistedshedrinkaglassinspiteofherdislikeforbeer.

           "Goeasyonthewateratfirst,"headvised."Beerwon’tgiveyouthetrots."

           ThenhetookherarmandwalkedheraroundDungloeproudly,asifheownedit.Butthen,LukewasbornaQueenslander.WhataplaceDungloewas!Ithadalookandacharacterfarremovedfromwesterntowns.InsizeitwasprobablythesameasGilly,butinsteadoframblingforeverdownonemainstreet,Dungloewasbuiltinorderedsquareblocks,andallitsshopsandhouseswerepaintedwhite,notbrown.Windowswereverticalwoodentransoms,presumablytocatchthebreeze,andwhereverpossibleroofshadbeendispensedwith,likethemovietheater,whichhadascreen,transomedwallsandrowsofship’scanvasdeskchairs,butnoroofatall.

           Allaroundtheedgeofthetownencroachedagenuinejungle.Vinesandcreeperssprawledeverywhere—upposts,acrossroofs,alongwalls.