midday
Before those new houses came , you need not see anything beyond the privet hedge unless you wished -- But now the outside was close upon her . It was time to give in and go away . As she stood there with the neat curled hair over her forehead blowing in the wind , and her short skirt and blouse trimly set about her spare figure , she was thinking thoughts which were almost incredibly different from what she looked -- seeking all over the world with a sort of desperate forlornness for a corner where her mind could find rest . Then the very quiet of the half-built houses over the hedge reminded her that she must go in to fry the rissoles for the midday dinner , but she revolted from the anticipated smell of hot fat with a sensation of physical sickness . For she had never possessed a robust appetite , and until this last year had scarcely ever sat down to a meal prepared by herself : so she did not bring to the task that interest which a good appetite or a natural taste for cooking will give even to those who have had no previous experience . However , it had to be done , so she went in , catching sight as she passed through the hall of a roll of music returned by Laura : but it failed to stir any regret that she was always too tired to practise nowadays . Leisure -- which she had all her life regarded as a right , no more to be considered than water or air -- was hers no longer .