Explore "The Case for the Crown" by Fred M. White on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
The blinds were drawn and the lights turned on, and Cecil and her new-found friends were seated in the drawing-room after dinner once more discussing the grave positions of affairs.
For the first time since the death of her husband Cecil had actually appreciated the food which had been placed before her. It had been a simple yet perfectly-cooked meal, and the little Chinese maid had been entirely responsible for it, indeed. It was almost marvellous to realise that this well-ordered household that seemed to run on oiled wheels was entirely served by the maid Li, and Chim Fang, who appeared to be a host in himself. And as Cecil contrasted her own extravagant household with the economical way in which the House on the River was run, she found herself envying these people their perfect domestic staff. This evening she was more sanguine and easy in her mind than she had been for a long time. There was something, too, in the feeling that the high stone walls round the House on the River had cut her off from the rest of the world. Really, she was getting a grip on herself, and all her natural courage was coming back to her.