19
HE TOOK US OUT of the room, back through the short passage through the main doors.
In the big hall, the men had finished their dinner. A few men were collecting empty bowls. In the absence of any other sound, the clattering of bowls against each other sounded really loud.
It was cold here compared to the comfortable living room with the fire. Our breath steamed in the air, but the cold didn’t appear to bother the men. I wondered what they had eaten, because a peculiar scent—resembling that of vinegar—hung in the hall.
We went out the door at the back of the hall into a dark narrow corridor. It was possibly even colder here, and there was virtually no light. I just hoped that the floor was even.
I said, “It’s very dark in these places, even in the hall.”
“They don’t need much light
