"Awfully nice," began Jane, but was stopped by the sudden opening of the hall door.
There stood Susan, all dressed.
"It seems good to have clothes on again," she remarked calmly; "I ain't been dressed for upwards of three years."
Then she saw Madeleine. "How do you do," she said, holding out her hand. "I suppose you're the Miss Mar from Deborah's?"
"Yes, I am," Madeleine admitted, smiling.
"My, but you look good to me," said Susan; "it's so nice to see a strange face. You see, I've been in bed for a long time, and I give up seeing strangers long before that." She sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and beamed on them both, turn and turn about. "Husband always thought that strangers was pickpockets," she said, "but I like to look at 'em. My, but I will enjoy these next weeks. You see, I live with my sister," she explained to Madeleine, "and I've had a pretty hard time. My sister's got a good heart, but maybe you know how awful hard it is to live with that kind of people. It's been pleasanter to stay in bed."
"But you won't do that any more, Auntie," said Jane, moving busily about.
"No, indeed I won't. You see," again to Madeleine, "she was my only sister, so I humored her. It's the only way to get on with some people. But you can even humor folks too much, and she got a disease they call the Euphrates all up and down her ear and her elbow, just from being humored too much. So she's gone off for a change."
"What are you doing?" Madeleine asked Jane.
"Making waffles. I thought it would be fun to eat them hot right now."