MASTERSON, Somerset Maugham, Narrated by Christopher Xavier

In the heart of Burma, where dusty roads lead to lonely bungalows shaded by tall trees, lives Masterson—a genial, slow-spoken man whose amiability hides a secret ache. To a passing traveler he seems the picture of contentment, proud of his curiosities, his neat little house, and the Burmese girl who once kept it alive with laughter and warmth. But her absence has left him raw, torn between the dream of an English churchyard and the reality of a love he cannot admit he needs. In his voice lingers both tenderness and regret, and in his story lies the eternal question: is it wiser to cling to a dream, or surrender to the happiness within reach?