▁was ▁a ▁teacher ▁and ▁inspect or . ▁He ▁lived ▁with ▁his ▁sister , ▁a ▁flat - ch ested , ▁consum pt ive ▁old ▁ma id . ▁She ▁was ▁quiet ▁and ▁sh y ; ▁she ▁ad ored ▁her ▁brother ▁and ▁was ▁a ▁little ▁afraid ▁of ▁him , ▁and ▁spoke ▁of ▁him ▁only ▁in ▁a ▁whisper . ▁He ▁said ▁in ▁a ▁poem : ▁ ▁" We ▁were ▁hol iday ▁children , ▁My ▁sister ▁and ▁I "; ▁they ▁were ▁very ▁poor , ▁those ▁hol iday ▁children , ▁dream ing ▁that ▁someone ▁would ▁give ▁them ▁" even ▁mot ley - color ed ▁shell s ▁from ▁a ▁bro ok ." ▁Sad ly ▁and ▁d ul ly ▁they ▁drag ged ▁out ▁the ▁difficult ▁days ▁of ▁their ▁youth . ▁The ▁consum pt ive ▁sister , ▁not ▁having ▁received ▁her ▁share ▁of ▁mot ley ▁shell s , ▁was ▁already ▁burning ▁out . ▁He ▁himself ▁was ▁exha usted ▁by ▁his ▁b oring ▁teaching ▁job ; ▁he ▁wrote ▁in ▁sn atch es ▁by ▁night , ▁always ▁tired ▁from ▁the ▁boy ish ▁noise ▁of ▁his ▁students ... ▁ ▁So ▁S olog ub ▁lived ▁in ▁his ▁little ▁official ▁a partment ▁with ▁little ▁icon ▁l amps , ▁serving ▁his ▁guests ▁mint ▁c akes , ▁rud dy ▁roll s , ▁past ila , ▁and ▁h oney ▁c akes , ▁for ▁which ▁his ▁sister ▁went ▁across ▁the ▁river ▁somewhere ▁on ▁a ▁hor sec ar . ▁She ▁told ▁us ▁priv ately , ▁" I ' d ▁love ▁to ▁ride ▁on ▁the ▁outside ▁of ▁the ▁hor sec ar ▁som etime