Not a word could she drag out of this very perverse and determined old lady concerning the state of the patient, nothing except that he was "better," or "doing nicely," or that the bandage was being shortened, or some other commonplace.

Uncle Peter had been kinder.

He understood--she saw that in his eyes.

Still even Uncle Peter had not told her all that she wanted to know, and of course she could not ask him.
Soon a certain vague antagonism began to assert itself toward the old lady who knew so much and yet who said so little! who was too old really to understand--no old person, in fact, could understand--that is, no old woman.

This proved, too, that this particular person could never have loved any other particular person in her life.