text: [Themes: Historical, male protagonist, Victorian, child protagonist]
  
  > look around
  Parlour (in the armchair)
  The parlour is Aunt Emma's domain, and is wonderfully comfortable and cosy on cold winter nights, especially when there's a fire going in the fireplace. On warm summer afternoons, however, it gets stiflingly claustrophobic.
  
  You are ensconced in an armchair near the fireplace. Escape seems most likely either east into the hall or north into the dining room.
  
  On the mantel are a displaced gnomon, a snake locket, a white cat, a wooden goblet, a flower saucer, a ship painting, a black falcon, a glass unicorn and a duelling pistol, all half hidden in a crowd of other little ornaments.
  
  From her portrait above the fireplace mantel, Queen Victoria gazes benignly down on the room.
  
  Aunt Emma sits by the window, dutifully reading her Bible.
  
  You can also see an elaborate flower centrepiece here.
  
  In the armchair you can see Uncle Stephen's latest sermon.
  
  > go east
  (First stealthily slipping out of the armchair)
  
  Bright sunlight shines through the sidelights of the front door, to the south. The rest of the hall is dull and muted, with heavy wood panelling. Aunt Emma's parlour is to the west, Uncle Stephen's study is to the east, and the dining room is to the northwest. A small, unobtrusive door behind the stairs goes northeast to the servant areas, and then there's the hall closet.
  
  Uncle Stephen spends most of his time shut up in here, reading the most boring books imaginable. One whole wall is lined with shelves full of these books, and then there's the desk with even more books stacked on it. The only decent things you can see here are the fireplace, which is quite grand, and a marvellous painting of the seaside. The hall is back to the west.
  
  Half-hidden among the papers on the desk, you spot a large matchbox.
  
  Uncle Stephen seems to have nodded off in his chair. His pipe droops unhappily from his lips, stone-cold dead.
  
  A rather thick folder lies on the floor by the desk, having been displaced by some of Uncle Stephen's reference books.
  
  > get all
  brown folder: Taken.
  large matchbox: Taken.
  
  > go to the west
  Bright sunlight shines through the sidelights of the front door, to the south. The rest of the hall is dull and muted, with heavy wood panelling. Aunt Emma's parlour is to the west, Uncle Stephen's study is to the east, and the dining room is to the northwest. A small, unobtrusive door behind the stairs goes northeast to the servant areas, and then there's the hall closet.
  
  The parlour is Aunt Emma's domain, and is wonderfully comfortable and cosy on cold winter nights, especially when there's a fire going in the fireplace. On warm summer afternoons, however, it gets stiflingly claustrophobic. Escape seems most likely either east into the hall or north into the dining room.
  
  An armchair, which years of visits have accustomed you to thinking of as "your" armchair, is positioned near the fireplace.
  
  On the mantel are a displaced gnomon, a snake locket, a white cat, a wooden goblet, a flower saucer, a ship painting, a black falcon, a glass unicorn and a duelling pistol, all half hidden in a crowd of other little ornaments.
  
  From her portrait above the fireplace mantel, Queen Victoria gazes benignly down on the room.
  
  Aunt Emma sits by the window, staring off into the distance.
  
  You can also see an elaborate flower centrepiece here.
  
  Aunt Emma sighs and finally looks around. When she sees you out of your seat, she frowns and rises, but stops in surprise when she sees the folder of Uncle Stephen's old sermons in your hands. "Oh!" she says. "Oh ... are those your Uncle Stephen's old sermons? So that's what you were after! You should have just said so. I see I should have trusted you enough to know you could not possibly mean any mischief when you leave your seat."
  
  She actually smiles and pats you on the head. On the bright side, it looks as though she doesn't mind you wandering around any more, since she makes no further attempt to usher you into your chair. She does, however, firmly advise you to return the large matchbox to its rightful place, and ushers you out into the Hall to do so.
  
  Bright sunlight shines through the sidelights of the front door, to the south. The rest of the hall is dull and muted, with heavy wood panelling. Aunt Emma's parlour is to the west, Uncle Stephen's study is to the east, and the dining room is to the northwest. A small, unobtrusive door behind the stairs goes northeast to the servant areas, and then there's the hall closet.
  
  > open the front door
  As you approach the front door, you hear Aunt Emma call out to you, "Hector, you're not planning on leaving the house, are you? Please don't."
  
  > go east
  Uncle Stephen spends most of his time shut up in here, reading the most boring books imaginable. One whole wall is lined with shelves full of these books, and then there's the desk with even more books stacked on it. The only decent things you can see here are the fireplace, which is quite grand, and a marvellous painting of the seaside. The hall is back to the west.
  
  Uncle Stephen seems to have nodded off in his chair. His pipe droops unhappily from his lips, stone-cold dead.
  
  > wake stephen
  Uncle Stephen stirs and looks bemusedly at you. "Eh? I'm awake.
  What is it, Hector?"
  
  Uncle Stephen takes a puff on his pipe and notes with some annoyance that it has somehow gone out. He reaches for his trusty matchbox and notes with even more annoyance that it has somehow gone missing. Sighing, he stands up and begins looking around.
  
  Uncle Stephen's sharp eyes spot the matchbox in your possession.
  "Give it here, Hector," he says sternly, and you can practically hear him thinking "Thou shalt not steal" at you, and you have no choice but to hand over the matchbox.
  
  Uncle Stephen relights his pipe and settles back behind his mound of boring literature. He'll probably be asleep again in no time.
  
  > ask Stephen about the pipe
  Uncle Stephen just smiles and puffs contentedly.
  
  > ask Stephen about Davis
  "Where'd you hear about him? Owen Davis ... Captain Davis, that is ... salt of the earth, but rather a reckless fellow, I'm afraid: always had been, from the time we first met him, in Wales. He died in the Sepoy Mutiny, in India. We were all dreadfully cut up by it."
  
  > ask Stephen about the wales
  "The family spent a summer there, a long time ago. Your Aunt Emma and I must have been about 17 or 18, at the time." Uncle Stephen looks a little lost in the memory, and eventually descends into pointless talk about valleys and old houses and patterned dinner services.
  
  > ask Stephen about Mutiny
  "Nasty business ... years ago, now, but I remember reading about it. That sort of thing isn't likely to happen up here in England, thank goodness."
  
  > ask Stephen about the india
  "Hm? Fascinating place, I'm sure, but I would rather leave missionary work to those with a calling to it. Otherwise, it's rather too much trouble...."
  
  > ask Stephen about the pistol
  Uncle Stephen wouldn't have anything interesting to say about that, surely; at least, nothing that you would find interesting.
  
  > ask Stephen about the stick
  "A walking stick is a rather useful item, I must say. I simply could not tell you the number of times I've been glad of having a nice, stout staff on hand while walking across the downs."
  
  > ask Stephen about Emma
  "You should ask her yourself," says Uncle Stephen vaguely.
  
  > go to the west
  Bright sunlight shines through the sidelights of the front door, to the south. The rest of the hall is dull and muted, with heavy wood panelling. Aunt Emma's parlour is to the west, Uncle Stephen's study is to the east, and the dining room is to the northwest. A small, unobtrusive door behind the stairs goes northeast to the servant areas, and then there's the hall closet.
  
  > go east
  Uncle Stephen spends most of his time shut up in here, reading the most boring books imaginable. One whole wall is lined with shelves full of these books, and then there's the desk with even more books stacked on it. The only decent things you can see here are the fireplace, which is quite grand, and a marvellous painting of the seaside. The hall is back to the west.
  
  Half-hidden among the papers on the desk, you spot a large matchbox.
  
  Uncle Stephen seems to have nodded off in his chair. White smoke curls from the bowl of his pipe.
  
  The last of the smoke from Uncle Stephen's pipe dissipates into the air.
  
  > look at the smoke
  It curls lazily from the bowl of the pipe and dissipates into the air, smelling up the place something awful.
  
  > smell it
  It smells awful, and for some unknown reason it always makes you feel hungry. The less you have to do with it, the better.
  
  > show the stick to Stephen
  "A walking stick is a rather useful item, I must say. I simply could not tell you the number of times I've been glad of having a nice, stout staff on hand while walking across the downs."
  
  > ask Stephen about the pipe
  Uncle Stephen just smiles and puffs contentedly.
  
  > ask Stephen about the tobacco
  Uncle Stephen wouldn't have anything interesting to say about that, surely; at least, nothing that you would find interesting.
  
  Uncle Stephen begins to nod drowsily. In a few moments, his pipe droops down onto his chest and he lets out a tiny little snore.
  
  > ask Stephen for the pipe
  Ask, and it shall be given you; but that is clearly not the case here.
  
  The last of the smoke from Uncle Stephen's pipe dissipates into the air.
  
  > examine the painting
  It's a brilliant painting of a town beside the sea, with the sun shining on whitewashed houses and the bluest sky you ever did see. Uncle Stephen always smiles and says he's seen better when you ask him about it.
  
  > ask Stephen about it
  "I'm rather fond of it, even if your Aunt Emma isn't." Uncle Stephen smiles wistfully. "Admittedly, it's not the artist's best work, but it brings back memories, you see."
  
  > ask Stephen about the memories
  Uncle Stephen looks a little wistful. "You know, the late summer of 1886 found me on the continent...." But you quickly stop him before he gets carried away.