She turned away her head.

Her mouth was shut tightly.
"Yes," said Annie, "you don't know how badly my mother is!" The girl sat staring glumly into the fire.
"Why is she badly ?" asked Paul, in his overbearing way.
"Well!" said Annie.

"She could scarcely get home." He looked closely at his mother.

She looked ill.
"WHY could you scarcely get home ?" he asked her, still sharply.

She would not answer.
"I found her as white as a sheet sitting here," said Annie, with a suggestion of tears in her voice.
"Well, WHY ?" insisted Paul.