That peace and quiet was soon disturbed. There had been muffled voices two doors down. A male voice, mostly, and occasionally a soft female voice replying. But the male voice was growing louder and louder, until it was shouting and quite audible throughout the house: "- to pull yourself together and stop pitying yourself!" Silence for a moment. "Alice!" Silence. Then the slamming of a door.

Tobias stood on the landing, leaning over the banister and breathing heavily.