Then the ice is crimson with their blood and the squeals of the young seals cloud the cool Labrador air. [...] She looks at things that are familiar: the chimney in the middle of the dirt floor, the American stove, the turf that peeps in through the strong birch- bark slats in the ceiling. [...] The dwellings of the Labradorians and the Newfoundland stationers feature a single low doorway and one small hole where a window might be: the hole is near the ground to prevent what heat there is from seeping out. [...] The windows and the hole in the roof for the chimney let light in and, at a glance, the curtains almost lend an air of pret- tiness to the dark interior. [...] As it grew, the Brigus women, especially the Englishwomen who married into the Leamons, Mundens, and Normans, gained the reputation of being “high- minded.” Like most Brigus men, William’s father was so rarely home that his appearances were more of a visit than a homecoming— almost a privilege bestowed on the Bartlett women and children, and even the rest of the town.