"The old lady hasn't left this place since her husband died," Mr. Pryde said. "In the summer I bring her fish for the guests. She's kind of a strange old bird, but she ain't bad."
"Good luck," Prudence said without feeling. Wendell said nothing. Samantha climbed out of the automobile and set off into the snow. The top of the drifts had frozen over with ice, making the journey more difficult. Twice she lost her footing, but managed to keep her balance. At last she reached the marble steps of the house and waved back to Mr. Pryde.
She reached up for a brass knocker in the shape of a bear's head. Before she could bring it down on the blue door, the knocker was torn away from her hand. An old woman in a dark blue sweater and white pants that complemented the house's color scheme stood in the doorway. "Hello there, young lady. I must say I didn't think you would make it. The rest of your family is welcome to come as well," Mrs. Milton said. She frowned at Samantha. "Are you going to stand there and catch death of cold? Come in, come in."
Samantha followed her inside to a spacious parlor with white walls and floors and dark blue furniture to match Mrs. Milton's wardrobe. "I must apologize for the snow in the driveway. We don't usually receive guests at this time of year. The boy who shovels my driveway is so busy right now he hasn't gotten out here yet." Mrs. Milton stopped to motion around the room. "This is the common area, where our guests are welcome to unwind. You will notice there is no television in this room or anywhere else. My husband and I believe a vacation should not be spent in front of the idiot box. If you must have one, there are motels along the interstate."
Samantha tried to interject, but Mrs. Milton kept talking as she swept through the parlor and into an empty room with a vast marble floor. "This is the ballroom. During the summer we hold dances every weekend. As you may have guessed, the room is not in operation at the moment. This is the dining room. Breakfast is served at seven o'clock until nine o'clock sharp. Lunch commences at noon until two o'clock and dinner from five o'clock to seven. No exceptions. There is also tea at three o'clock, hosted by myself. Rosalie, our cook, makes the most wonderful crumpets in all of Maine-she came to us directly from England-but alas she won't be here for another two months. I do have some tinned cookies in the pantry that will have to do-"