About this story
Peter and I can keep her happy enough that no one below needs to fear a baby they never hear. You step into this one-chapter preview with Peter Franklin at the center, where choices turn on the people, promises, and pressure already in the room. Dickory's first hungry sound escaped the shawl. The chapter closes on a continuation question rather than resolving the novel's larger arc.
How it opens
The orphan baby called Dickory Dock lived secretly in an attic because the Franklins' lodgers demanded a quiet house.
Flossy FranklinPeter and I can keep her happy enough that no one below needs to fear a baby they never hear.
Caring is more than silence, Floss; she needs food, sleep, warmth, and someone awake when she cries.
You were Flossy, six years old, sharing daytime care with Peter and the patient household terrier.
Protect a vulnerable infant while recognizing that affection and clever games cannot replace adult care and resources.
Choose
Wake Martha without shouting through the house.
Fetch Mother and tell the whole problem.