After the pudding we had dried apple-pie, which we ate from our hands, like bread.

Grand'ther ate fast, not troubling himself to ask us if we would have more, but making the necessary motions to that effect by touching the spoon in the pudding or knife on the pie.

Ruth and Sally still kept their eyes fixed on some invisible object at a distance.

What a disagreeable interest I felt in them! What had they in common with me?
What could they enjoy?
How unpleasant their dingy, crumbled, needle-pricked fingers were! Sally hiccoughed, and Ruth suffered from internal rumblings.

Without waiting for each other when we had finished, we put our chairs against the wall and left the room.