It is possible, it seems, for members of one family to live side by
side and know absolutely nothing of each other. A half-fledged nun
arrives, and in a couple of weeks has grasped domestic details, of
which the master diplomatist at the head of the house is quite
ignorant. Or perhaps he does see, and shuts his eyes deliberately,
as part of the father's role. There is a mystery here which I must
plumb.