Chapter 11I came down to breakfast the following day with the room half empty. Alice sat chewing at a piece of toast as if she was gnawing a lump of pipe lagging. Having tried it myself, I guess that wasn’t too far from the truth. Her long hair was unbraided, shielding much of her face. Sitting hunched over the table, her posture seemed intended to exclude me and deter any conversation.
Phoebe and Greaves pottered about the room, but both appeared to be avoiding my eyes. Without a word being said, I got the definite feeling I was missing something. Only Ada caught my eye. Away from the supervision of her mother, she stood once again at the fireplace. I had learned that the house rule was the fires were not to be lit before noon to save money, and Ada was taking advantage of this to full e
