She looked into the bar several times

Question

A man and his wife had a small bar near a station. The bar often stayed open until after midnight, because people come to drink there while they were waiting for trains.
At two o’clock one morning, one man was still sitting at a table in the small bar. He was asleep. The barman’s wife wanted to go to bed. She looked into the bar several times, and each time the man was still there. Then at last she went to her husband and said to him. "You've waken that man six times now, George, but he isn’t drinking anything. Why haven’you sent him away? It is very late."
“Oh, no, I don't want to send him away," answered her husband with a smile. "You see, whenever l wake him up, he asks for his bill, and when I bring it to him he pays it. Then he goes to sleep again.”

Here, I think "look into" means "to look into a room from another room". But how can the woman look into the bar from the bar?

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

If it's a very small bar, this might mean that it's just a room in their home, that also serves as a bar. Then, since it's just a part of their home, it might not be attended all the time. The couple might just look in on it from time to time.

Anonymous · Answer

You are right. It is poorly worded. It should say where the woman is—perhaps in the kitchen.

CalifJim · Answer

cat fold 525Here, I think "look into" means "to look into a room from another room".

Yes.

cat fold 525But how can the woman look into the bar from the bar?

Presumably the woman had already gone into the living quarters adjacent to the bar and looked into the bar from there. The writer didn't bother to mention that, thinking the reader would deduce that from the situation.

CJ

She looked into the bar several times

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