Long TextExercise 57 of 81

There is a particular quality of stillness that descends upon a landscape from which human beings have recently departed, a hush that is distinct from the ordinary quiet of uninhabited places. It carries within it a residue of intention, as though the air itself retains some molecular memory of purposeful activity. I…

• What initially motivated the narrator to visit the cottage?
• How was Margaret Elliston perceived by her family?