She berated him then, and for a while the crepuscular birds retreated, but outside the wind had blown the sun out, and it was getting very cold.

planting his feet sideways to take the steps three and four at a time, grabbing the newel at each landing and reversing his trajectory with a jerk

Enid had the heretical thought that it might after all have been wiser, in her maternal homilies, to have laid less stress on marriage

There was something netherworldly in their determined migration, something chilling in the cordiality and white raiment of the Nordic Pleasurelines shore personnel

Most of the houses here, including his own, were made of a schist that resembled raw tin and was exactly the color of his hair

But he could already hear Enid's invidious descants on the topic of Denise's wonderfulness.

Gary considered waiting for a less populated car, a ride less pullulating with mediocrity and body smells

he surprised a porter and a maid lasciviously osculating in a stairwell

the rutabaga smelled carious and was already cold

every "real" thing in the world was as shabbily protean, underneath, as this electric chair