About this story
Sent to lend Lucilla your eyes near a mysterious neighbor at Browndown, you meet Oscar Dubourg, a recluse whose voice alone can silence her mid-sentence, a man who says he was wrongly imprisoned for theft and is only now clearing his name. Before you can judge for yourself, his brother arrives from America with an identical voice.
How it opens
Your hired pony surrendered at the rectory gate after climbing the last chalk hill.
Reverend FinchMadame Pratolungo, punctuality is the first virtue of a companion.
The rector inspected your letter while fourteen children opened and shut nearby doors.
Mrs FinchWe lost half an hour at breakfast and have been pursuing it ever since.
Choose
I came to accompany your daughter, not to audit your clocks.
Fourteen children explain more than any reference could.
Please take me to Lucilla before another half-hour escapes.