The stillness of death seemed in the house already. No one ever sat in the library at Marchmain House. It was the one ugly room in either of their houses. The bookcases of Victorian oak held volumes of Hansard and obsolete encyclopedias that were never opened; the bare mahogany table seemed set for the meeting of a committee; the place had the air of being both public and unfrequented; outside lay the forecourt, the railings, the quiet cul-de-sac. 屋內(nèi)已然一片死寂。從沒有人坐在Marchmain House的圖書館里。那個房間在兩所房子任意一所都是難看的一間。由維多利亞時期的橡樹制成的書架上放著卷一卷的未被打開的過時百科全書和英國議會議事錄。而未經(jīng)裝飾的紅木桌子像是為了委員會會議而設(shè)置的。這塊兒地給人一種既公開開放又偏僻冷清的感覺。在屋外面有前院，柵欄和靜謐的死胡同。