He got up from his chair, and set the glass down. “Too right,” he said heavily. “It’s a crook kind of a place for a woman.”
They went down to tea and sat at a table together, Joe deep in gloom. When they had ordered, Jean said, “Joe, how long have you got? When have you got to be back at Midhurst?”
He raised his head and grinned. “When I’m ready to go back,” he said. “I been away so long a few days more won’t make any difference.” He paused. “What about you?”
“I only came here to see if you were all right, Joe,” she said. “I suppose I’ll go down to Brisbane and start looking for a boat home next week.”
Their food came, roast beef for Joe, cold ham and salad for Jean. “What have you been doing since you came to Cairns?” he asked presently. “Been out to the Reef?”
She shook her head. “I
