“How d’you know what age I be?”
“Didn’t I see father put it down at the time of the last census?”
“My word! I never knew children were listening. I didn’t want my age known.”
“Hannah, you are forty-five.”
“And what if I be?”
“That’s very old,” I said.
“’Tain’t,” said Hannah.
“It is,” I repeated. “I asked Alex one day, and he said it was the age when women began to drop off.”
“Lawks! what does that mean?” said Hannah.
“It’s the way he expressed it. I don’t want to frighten you, but he said lots of people died then.” Hannah now looked really scared.