Either Edmund did not notice how unusually quiet his sister, or he didn't care.  Regardless of the reason, his head tilted back in a laugh at Francis' praise.

"Of course, of course.  I... I suppose it is a nice thing to have, even if I can't do anything with it.  Maybe I could hang it up like - like a painting.  Is that silly?"

It sounded silly.  Edmund laughed again, sitting down at the table.  Had Francis said something before?  Something about - a collection?  He glanced around, searching for a clue, and found it in the shells on the desk.

"Oh, yes, yes, those are Mable's..." he said.  "She really likes the beach, as you can see.  I dunno why, but to each their own."

It was so nice to have Francis in the hotel room.  It usually felt so stifling in here, even with the window open, but Edmund was now realizing it was really just... loneliness.  Of course, he always had his sister, but when didn't he?

"Mable, Mable, why don't you show my friend your shells?  Tell him about them?"

Still, Mable was quiet for a moment, even when she was spoken to directly.  She seemed to hesitate before getting up and moving to the desk, picking up something and putting it on the table in front of Francis.

"Tell him about it," Edmund prompted again.  Mable seemed to clench her teeth.

"Its a rock," she said, "I dunno.  It's just a rock."  She shrugged, staring blankly at Francis' face.  "You can keep it, if you want.  I don't like it very much, so I won't miss it."