The one-time Orme ancestral home is transformed into a dilapidated apartment block inhabited by a host of eccentric characters, including Alice Orme, who never leaves her bed; her husband, who spends his time in his old armchair; and their son, Francis, who never touches anything without the protection of white gloves and who steals objects treasured by their owners. A first novel. Reprint. 17,500 first printing.