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When last heard of, Mrs. Trollope has set off on a hopeful search for stability. One suspects, though, that the author may have decided that "trying to love people at the table d'hôte" is just about as good a deal as anybody ever gets in life. "You are always astonished at how people can muddle their lives," Madame Bonnard concludes. The reader nods in agreement and suddenly realizes that this collection of freaks and trimmers have taken on the unquestionable, tantalizing reality of lives lived within earshot. Put down the book and they will still be there, as muddled as anyone you know.