Like Nancy, Noel, Penelope’s only son, values appearances and reputation. This is why he spends many of his weekends in the country, spending time with his girlfriend’s wealthy friends in hopes of making important connections. Noel lives in a tiny flat whose prestige is based solely on its good address. He dreams of someday starting a business in brokering commodities, but he needs a large investment to begin. When Nancy calls Noel and tells him about The Water Carriers, Noel immediately thinks of The Shell Seekers and wonders how much money can be made from the sale of that larger painting. Even splitting the money with his sisters, Noel knows that he can get more than enough money to begin his business. He feels that his mother is selfish for not selling the painting because she has already made more than enough from the sale of her home on Oakley Street to live on for the rest of her life.

Noel owns an old Jaguar that makes a knocking sound and has a heater that doesn’t always work. He allows his girlfriend, Amabel, to borrow an overcoat he took from his mother’s house that once belonged to

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