“How old is she?”
“A little over seventy-five. I was away and when I——”
“First shock?”
“Yes.”
“Where is she?”
“Upstairs. But before you see her I want to explain that she is a little—well, peculiar. You may find that she——” 216
“I shan’t pay no attention,” replied Melvina indifferently. “I’ve seen all sorts—fretters, groaners, whiners, scolders; they’re all one to me. So you needn’t give yourself any uneasiness.”
She spoke in a voice as humdrum and colorless as was her round, flabby face, and Lucy smiled in spite of herself.
“I fancy it isn’t really necessary for me to tell you anything then,” she answered good-humoredly. “Of course you have had a wonderful chance to study personalities.”
“I never had a chance to study anything,” responded Melvina in a matter-of-fact manner. “All I know I’ve picked up as I went along.”