"And most diseases ain't cheerful visitations.

Still a feller ought not to growl about it in public.

I always did hate for a man to be goin' about forever complainin' of his sufferin's--whether they was from duty or rheumatiz." Mrs.Dunn's lips snapped shut.

She pressed them together impatiently.
Evidently her questions, and their diplomatic prelude, had been unheard and wasted.

However, she did not intend to be sidetracked or discouraged.
"One should not prate of one's duty, of course," she agreed.