“I think—I’ll just go—and look for—crabs,” said Shan’t, getting pink.
“Do,” said the elderly woman. “A most intelligent child,” she added, turning to Marcus, “but why does she wear shoes and socks and a hat?”
“Ought she not?” asked Marcus anxiously.
“She would be happier without—but leave her now. Tell me about her.”
“She’s a curious child in some ways—the way she makes friends, surely, is unusual; and her conversation with you—rather advanced for a child of her age, isn’t it?”
“Most unusual.”
“It’s not dangerous, is it?”
“I see no possible danger in her talking to me.”
“No; I mean she isn’t too clever for her age, is she?”
“She is so much with you—isn’t she?”