“My oculist,” she said firmly, “is sending them by mail.”
I said, “So you notice what’s happened to the town?”
“Do I?”
“Naturally, it isn’t the sort of place you remembered. It must seem a lot smaller.”
She said, “It seems — like looking at a city through the wrong end of a telescope. What keeps people here?”
“The climate,” I said. “It used to be unhealthy for me, and I moved away for a while. Then I came back and I’ve never felt better.”
She seemed puzzled. “What was the matter with you?”
“Oh, a variety of things.”
“You look a little frail, but you seem healthy enough.”
“I am. I suppose you’re inclined to look at our little city through the eyes of a world traveller. When you left you were more a part of the surroundings. Now you’ve become a citizen of the world. Tell me, Mrs. Lintig, how does Oakview compare with London?”