PROLOGUE
London， 1855 Alice Kingsleigh started awake。 Her heart was pounding The toom around her was dark。 The only glimmers of light slipped under the door from the lamps in the hall outside。
Shed had the dream again。 It was the same every time。
The tiny nine-year-old pushed back her heavy bedcovers 。 She shivered as her bare feet hit the cold wooden floor。 Sounds echoed from downstairs- the strong， comforting voice of her father and the answering guffaws” of his friends in the study。
序
倫敦，1855年，愛麗絲·金斯利從夢中醒來。
她的心怦怦直跳。房間裡一片漆黑，外面大廳裡的吊燈散發出的微弱光亮從門底下溜了進來。
她又做夢了，每次都是同樣的夢。
愛麗絲，這個九歲的小女孩推開厚實的被褥走下床。光著的腳丫碰到冰冷的木地板時，她忍不住哆嗦了一下。樓下書房裡迴盪著談笑聲——父親洪亮舒服的聲音，還有朋友們隨聲附和的笑聲。
1 bedcover n。 床罩，床上用品 2 guffaw n。大笑，狂笑，粗野的笑聲
