She rushed on, shouting at the top of her voice and using a mixture of expletives and obscenities that showed an admirable command of English as well as Norwegian.
Nothing I could do could make the situation worse, so I decided to try something drastic. I outshouted her.
"CUT IT OUT, MARIE! YOU KNOW YOU DON'T HAVE TO TALK LIKE THAT."
She stopped suddenly and focused on me for the first time. The muscles in her face relaxed ever so slightly, and her eyes showed awareness and intelligence.
"How'd you know?"
I stared at her for a minute, giving her my best foxy-grandpa look. "It takes one to know one," I said finally—at which point Marie's face broke into a grin.
"You mean you're crazy? You too?"
"Perhaps. And perhaps the only difference between you and me is that I know how to act sane."
Marie seemed to like the sound of that. She tightened the sash of her bathrobe and sat down.
As Marie calmed down, she agreed that she would like Dr. Greenwald to help her. She wanted badly to leave the institution.