The Parlor

" 'You are the lady of the house. Every mistress of a household has her parlour. . .Your temperament, my dear, is reflective, as mine is, and as you grow older you will increasingly need somewhere to go when you wish to be private. I suggest that the younger children and myself enter this room only with your permission'. . . Something inside her seemed to expand like a flower opening and she sighed with relief. She had not known before that she liked to be alone. She sat still for ten minutes, making friends with her room. . ."

--Eileen Goudge, Linnets and Valerians.