Maggie, studying Miss Toms' face, saw that it was lined with trouble--an ugly face, grave, severe, but brave and proud.Maggie apologised for not coming before.
"I would have come--" she began.
"Oh, you needn't apologise," said Miss Toms brusquely."They don't call on us here, and we don't want them to.""They don't call," said Mr.Toms brightly, "because they know I'm queer in the head, and they're afraid I shall do something odd.They told you I was queer in the head, didn't they?"Strangely enough this statement of his "queerness," although it brought a lump into Maggie's throat, did not disturb or confuse her.
"Yes," she said, "they did.I asked who you were after I had seen you in the road that day.""I'm not in the least dangerous," said Mr.Toms."You needn't be afraid.Certain things seem odd to me that don't seem odd to other people--that's all.""The fact is, Mrs.Trenchard," said Miss Toms, speaking very fast and flushing as she spoke, "that we are very happy by ourselves, my brother and I.He is the greatest friend I have in the world, and Iam his.We are quite sufficient for one another.I don't want to seem rude, and it's kind of you to have come, but it's better to leave us alone--it is indeed.""Well, I don't know," bald Maggie, smiling."You see, I'm a little queer myself--at least I think that most of the people here are coming to that conclusion.I'm sure I'm more queer than your brother.At any rate I can't do you any harm, and we may as well give it a trial, mayn't we?"Mr.Toms clapped his hands with so sudden a noise that Maggie jumped.
"That's right," he said."That's the way I like to hear people talk.