Only after Stella rather abruptly left the house for what she called an “appointment”—after the strange scene in the kitchen, I had a passing notion of its character, and the momentary expression of utter misery which crossed Ricky Hawthorne’s face confirmed it—did the three men open up to me. Bad choice of words: they did not “open up” at all, at least not until much later, but after Stella Hawthorne had driven off, the three old men began to show me why they had asked me to come to Milburn.
