THEY were real generous and neighbourly . There never was a finer gentleman than old Doctor Lloyd . He was always doing kindnesses to everybody ; and he had a way of doing them that made you feel as if you was doing the favour , not him . Well , well , let Old Lady Lloyd keep herself and her money to herself if she wants to . If she does n't want our company , she does n't have to suffer it , that 's all . Reckon she is n't none too happy for all her money and pride . '' No , the Old Lady was none too happy , that was unfortunately true . It is not easy to be happy when your life is eaten up with loneliness and emptiness on the spiritual side , and when , on the material side , all you have between you and starvation is the little money your hens bring you in . The Old Lady lived `` away back at the old Lloyd place , '' as it was always called . It was a quaint , low-eaved house , with big chimneys and square windows and with spruces growing thickly all around it . The Old Lady lived there all alone and there were weeks at a time when she never saw a human being except Crooked Jack . What the Old Lady did with herself and how she put in her time was a puzzle the Spencervale people could not solve . The children believed she amused herself counting the gold in the big black box under her bed . Spencervale children held the Old Lady in mortal terror ; some of them -- the `` Spencer Road '' fry -- believed she was a witch ; all of them would run if , when wandering about the woods in search of berries or spruce gum , they saw at a distance the spare , upright form of the Old Lady , gathering sticks for her fire . Mary Moore was the only one who was quite sure she was not a witch . `` Witches are always ugly , '' she said decisively , `` and Old Lady Lloyd is n't ugly . She 's real pretty -- she 's got such a soft white hair and big black eyes and a little white face . Those Road children do n't know what they 're talking of . Mother says they 're a very ignorant crowd . '' `` Well , she does n't ever go to church , and she mutters and talks to herself all the time she 's picking up sticks , '' maintained Jimmy Kimball stoutly .
The Old Lady talked XXXXX herself because she was really very fond of company and conversation .
about around at between except in of than that to