The best pieces and those which had sentimental interest for Mrs. It was crowded with the unsalable furniture of two larger houses, without pretension to any period, least of all to the present. There was little in it to suggest the austerely elegant interiors which Mrs.

John Beaver lived with his mother at the house in Sussex Gardens where they had moved after his father's death. 'But, mumsy, I haven't as much to do as you have.' I don't know how I should get through my day without it.' She held the carton close under her chin and gobbled with a spoon.

Beaver stood with her back to the fire, eating her morning yogurt. I must get on to them this morning before that ghoul Mrs. The chief rooms were completely gutted and everything was insured. Still, they are bound to need doing up, everything black with smoke and drenched in water and luckily they had that old-fashioned sort of extinguisher that ruins everything. The fire never reached the bedrooms I am afraid. Beaver, 'except two housemaids who lost their heads and jumped through a glass roof into the paved court. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at Thank you for your support of the author's rights. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author's intellectual property.

A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh