Violen

The season's turned, so I climb the hill. I can tell from the doorstep what kind of smell a house keeps when it keeps a human close.

• OsmonMy lady, the room has been kept just as it was.
  ViolenJust as it was? In this house, you're the only thing that stays the same.
• AlbernGreat-aunt, I'd appreciate some word ahead of your visits.
  ViolenSend word and you'll tidy up. I don't come to see a tidied house.

The last spot has held nothing but an empty frame for a hundred years. And for a hundred years, my nephew has slowed his steps in front of it.

• GrahamEvery time I make a house call, that hallway feels the longest of all.
  ViolenLong, to a human. To us it's short, and that's the problem.
• AlbernGreat-aunt, photographs of the gallery are a bit of a problem.
  AlbernI said it's a problem, and getting no answer means you're already planning next season's visit.