"It takes all sorts to make a world," Flavia says, unthinkingly echoing one of Mrs. Mullet's favorite aphorisms. It's trite though no less true, especially in a place such as Darrow, where one could quite conceivably encounter spacemen, ghosts, and titled aristocracy all within the space of an hour or a city block.

"What sorts of interests do girls my age have where you're from, then?" she asks, genuinely curious.