The
narrator
enters
her
?
s
sitting
room
,
which
feels
more
sacred
to
her
than
a
.
Despite
her
rational
upbringing
,
she
feels
a
sense
of
wanting
to
believe
in
something
spiritual
here
.
The
room
,
her
mother
?
s
sanctuary
,
is
decorated
with
Japanese
silk
,
light
maple
furnishings
,
and
delicate
watercolors
,
creating
a
peaceful
,
airy
space
unlike
the
and
formal
parlour
downstairs
.
As
the
narrator
moves
into
her
mother
?
s
studio
,
she
notices
a
small
box
holding
her
mother
?
s
supplies
and
realizes
that
her
mother
hadn
?
t
left
to
paint
as
she
had
assumed
.
Feeling
foolish
for
not
realizing
this
sooner
,
she
moves
with
a
heavy
heart
into
her
mother
?
s
bedroom
,
which
is
uncharacteristically
messy
.
The
bed
is
,
her
walking
clothes
are
carelessly
draped
over
a
mirror
,
and
various
other
garments
are
strewn
around
the
room
.
In
her
mother
?
s
wardrobe
,
the
narrator
finds
a
mix
of
,
from
walking
suits
to
Aesthetic
gowns
,
formal
wear
,
and
even
her
late
father
?
s
mourning
clothes
.
Her
mother
?
s
wardrobe
reflects
her
:
progressive
yet
bound
by
certain
traditional
roles
,
never
discarding
items
,
and
disregarding
fashion
.
Unable
to
tell
which
garment
might
be
missing
,
the
narrator
is
further
by
the
room
?
s
state
.
While
exploring
,
she
finds
an
odd
item
made
of
coiled
white
horsehair
.
Not
knowing
what
it
is
,
she
shows
it
to
the
family
,
Lane
,
who
explains
that
it
is
a
"
dress
improver
"
or
a
.
Embarrassed
,
she
asks
Lane
if
he
remembers
how
her
mother
was
dressed
when
she
left
.
He
recalls
that
her
mother
wore
her
Turkey
-
back
jacket
,
which
would
accommodate
a
bustle
,
and
a
tall
,
military
-
style
grey
.
Her
mother
also
carried
a
sturdy
walking
umbrella
,
a
strange
combination
of
items
that
contrasts
with
her
usual
style
,
leaving
the
narrator
even
more
uncertain
about
where
her
mother
might
have
gone
or
why
.
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