Against the end wall, facing down the room to the fireplace, Delia’s bookshelves were ranged along, filled with Delia’s books, and with some of Martin’s books. Some of Martin’s books Min wouldn’t have in the house, and she had sold them. She was glad now that she had never spent money on books; these had been waiting for her. The room looked very distinguished, very literary. It was what she should always have had. She wished they could all see it. There was room for them, and a welcome. There was even a deep, dim corner there between the end wall and the far window where her father could steal in and sit down and listen to them with his silence, as he used to do. There was a place here for all of them — a place for Polly, a place for poor Clare. A place in the middle for Bridget. A place for Martin in his own chair. They could come in anytime and feel right at home although the room was warmer and the furniture a bit better than anything they had been used to in the old days.

NOTE

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All of these stories appeared originally in The New Yorker, except “The Poor Men and Women,” which appeared in Harper’s Bazaar. They are listed below in the order of publication.

“The Poor Men and Women,” April 1952

“The Morning after the Big Fire,” February 7, 1953

“The Clever One,” May 30, 1953

“The Lie,” October 3, 1953

“The Day We Got Our Own Back,” October 24, 1953

“The Barrel of Rumors,” February 27, 1954

“The Devil in Us,” July 3, 1954

“The Old Man of the Sea,” January 15, 1955

“An Attack of Hunger,” January 6, 1962

“A Young Girl Can Spoil Her Chances,” September 8, 1962

“The Drowned Man,” July 27, 1963

“The Carpet with the Big Pink Roses on It,” May 23, 1964

“A Free Choice,” July 11, 1964

“The Shadow of Kindness,” August 14, 1965

“The Twelfth Wedding Anniversary,” September 24, 1966

“The Sofa,” March 2, 1968

“The Eldest Child,” June 29, 1968

“Stories of Africa,” August 10, 1968

“The Springs of Affection,” March 18, 1972

“Christmas Eve,” December 23, 1972

“Family Walls,” March 10, 1973