◆ SpookStack

VER REVIEW MBER 1967. pd ee ed Le. ' 4 jae : . a “He did,’ she said, ‘until a while “ago! I had a sudden awareness of’ hostility. But at this stage I was far * from formulating my suspicions in words, 1 experienced only a tiny ‘ “nagging doubt. * In the early spring, with al! of us feeling depressed and on edge, Melinda suggested that we might spend a weekend unwinding al: het: 4 dacha in the country. "We had new ‘skis that year which we were keen e left her for Siete et ey ’s wife, Melinda. WVUL We Wet UY eA ee - pushing ourselves along on skis over the powdery snow through the tower- ing birch trees. It was a St Patrick's Day weekend and, to celebrate the occasion, I had . made a bottle of vodka citronnée: ~ J had pot the coiled peel of a lemon into a full bottle of vodka and allowed it to chill overnight. This is © an old Turkish speciality, especially good with a raw-type vodka. I also “took with us a casserole of my special jellied soup, The three of us arrived in the early afternoon and, after Kim had waxed - our skis, ventured unsteadily into -. the garden. We made bets as to who - would fall first, “Lhe path we were heading for had been cleared of snow, which was banked steeply at the bottom of the garden. Lurching away from us, Kim went first over the top and I followed to find him picking himself up from the snow- drift. He was rubbing his wrist. * It’s nothing at all,’ he said casually, and he pushed on down the road, with woos mT Ten ae le ¢, . ' Mehnda and myseu following. y, Kim Philby and Melinda Maciean was witnessing, in effect, the - collapse of my relationship with Ri. We Was lost io Mé in a haze of alcohol. Indeed. the whole of elinda’s not well; be" son the verge of - ‘ uur _ 7 We musi do a iad . seeing an old-style, gabled dacha, , said I would like to sketch it, and — vy Aha a poe he gck soe TY (nm @, qnacter 1T : — |Q0 I had my sketch-pad with me and _. Always ¢ with tw radiotele ‘cunning and spirit of fending her young.’ A Melinda began to look tearful and helpless. Sh oo her brave littie wor could see that Kim heavily for it. We went There was one doubt two single bedrooms 1 Melinda, had settled 1 eC. rooms"so"Kim and I t _room each. It was the fi our marriage that Kin slept under the same ro rooms. When Twoke in iG Kim's usual greeting “ing,” I discovered th: Melinda had been uy hours, drinking tea in th apparently discussing | problems. At least | account of how they pa Kim's wrist was no’ swollen, and it was ¢ would be fo more skiin: instead for a brief wall a couple of bottles af € from the local store. Melinda retired to her 1 reading -* Burgess an which Kim did not wa: home knowing that Dc and might become ex: pleasant. Kim’s pr Feelin & restless, Kin out again, but it was 1 soon turned back. ° into the village, returt the same time the c: drive us home to Mosc have had a few drinks and again it was clear had done it deliberately suspicion that his injur: - IOt-have been an acci : - have been self-inflicted of nihilism and self-p: against the situation