When Mrs. Tom came in to hear herself talk, one afternoon when Tom was away fishing, the old lady simply sat and stared at her from the depths of her big black sun-bonnet, and never opened her lips or gave any sign of interest or hearing.
"Is she deaf?" asked Mrs. Tom after a while.
"Dear me, no. Grannie hears everything," said Mrs. Hamon, with a smile at thought of all the old lady would have to say presently.
"Nom d'un nom, then why doesn't she speak? Is it dumb she is?"
"Neither deaf nor dumb—nor yet a fool," rapped Grannie, so sharply that the visitor jumped.
And during the remainder of her visit, no matter to whom she was talking or what she was saying, Julie's snapping black eyes would inevitably keep working round to the depths of the big black sun-bonnet, and at times her discourse lost point and trailed to a ragged end.
"It's my belief that old woman next door is a witch," she said to her husband later on.
"She's an old devil," he said bluntly. "She'll put the evil eye on you if you don't take care."
"She ought to be burnt," said Mrs. Tom.
"All the same," said Tom musingly, "she's got money, so you'd best be as civil to her as she'll let you."