"The Apple Tree was quite a spacious house, with several pleasant alcoves and corners. How selfish people are... thought Mrs. Oliver. No respect for one’s neighbor. This familiar cliché from the past flashed through her mind. She had heard it so many times from a governess, a servant, her grandmother, two aunts, her mother, and a couple of others more.
“Excuse me,” said Mrs. Oliver in a loud and clear voice.
The boy and the girl pressed even closer together, as if their lips were glued to each other.
“Excuse me,” Mrs. Oliver repeated. “Will it bother you if I pass? I want to open this door.”
The two children moved away reluctantly and looked at her with annoyance. Mrs. Oliver entered the room, then slammed the door behind her and drew the bolt.
The door did not fit well in its frame and the voices from outside reached Mrs. Oliver's ears faintly.
“Oh, come on,” came a boy’s rather shrill voice. “Can’t she see we don’t want anyone to bother us?”