““The small foyer is gloomy and dark. Shadows from the white crocheted curtain on the one window cast lacy shapes on the floor. To the left, through a slightly open door, I glimpse the red-flocked wallpaper and mahogany table and chairs of a dining room. Mrs. Byrne pushes a button on the wall and the overhead light springs on as Mr. Byrne comes through the front door, having retrieved my bag from the truck. “Ready?” she says, opening the door to the right onto a room that, to my surprise, is full of people.””