
On a cold Sunday evening, you sat outside the lodging with eight-year-old Maurice pressed against your shoulder. Will it be soon, Cecile? You step into this one-chapter preview with Maurice D'Albert at the center, where choices turn on the people, promises, and pressure already in the room. She turned toward the fire and drew breath to begin, while the posted letter remained beyond your knowledge. The chapter closes on a continuation question rather than resolving the novel's larger arc.
Read The Children's Pilgrimage