Someone to watch over me

verbal bucket of cold water on the sizzling tone of the conversation.
    I can find someone to donate the truck,“ Edith said sharply. Lily suspected Edith didn’t grasp that Phoebe was trying to help out by changing the course of the discussion.
    “And who drives the truck and buys the gas and decides where to drive it?“ Mrs. Rismiller asked. She was the only one referred to by everybody but Edith by her married name, being the wife of a minister. “And what is he paid?“ Phoebe asked, “Why should it be a he who is paid?”
    Edith looked up at the ceiling for a moment. “Because so many men are out of work, my dear.“
    “And many of their wives and daughters are working instead,“ Phoebe persisted. “Everything we’ve talked about so far is domestic. Food and clothing. Most men have no concept of the relative worth of these items. I think the driver ought to be a woman. Lots of women know how to drive these days. And they know the value of household objects.“ Phoebe suddenly stopped and blushed at giving such a strong, long speech.
    Edith White didn’t come back with a direct reply. “I’ll tell you all that this worked where my cousin lives. I’ll write her and ask your questions and concerns. I might even telephone her. We’ll meet again when I receive the answers. Now let’s get back to our sewing.”
    Lily felt badly about the way the proposal had gone. Mrs. White had obviously expected full agreement, but she hadn’t done her homework. Lily, who spent a great deal of her own time toting up numbers, had no idea how it could work.
    Someone clumped down the stairs. Henry White came into the room. “A little hen’s nest of gossip, eh?“ he said with a grin.
    Edith smiled back. “You know better, dear.
    We’re plotting a new way of helping the people of Voorburg.“
    “Ah,“ Henry said, putting a hand on Edith’s shoulder. He was a tall, fair, handsome man and looked a bit younger than his wife. Lily was surprised that Edith leaned a bit to touch her cheek to his hand. Edith’s smile was a little crooked, she realized, as if one side of her mouth didn’t work quite the way the other side did.
    “I wouldn’t want to interrupt anything so worthwhile,“ Henry said, with a toothy smile. “I’ll just go in the kitchen and sit with the children. I’ve always liked bread-and-butter sandwiches.”
    Edith turned to watch him for a moment as he walked away with a friendly wave to the women.
    “I don’t know what came over me to speak that way,“ Phoebe said, as they were leaving an hour later, her face flushing again. Lily had errands in town and was going toward Phoebe’s hat shop anyway.
    “You asked good questions,“ Lily said. “We need to know more about how this is to work before we get involved and try to fix mistakes as they happen. I noticed that Edith has an oddly uneven smile. And she slightly favors her left arm as if it hurts a bit. Has she had a stroke or something? She seems too young for that.“
    “She was probably in some sort of accident in her youth,“ Phoebe said.
    Lily heard someone coming up quickly behind them and turned. It was Roxanne Anderson. “I’m glad you spoke up, Miss Twinkle,“ she said, when she caught up to them. At least she was observing Edith White’s rule that first names were used only at meetings. “Mrs. White means well, but she sometimes goes off like a firecracker without thinking where she’ll land.“
    “I think she knew it,“ Lily said. “It must have hurt her pride to admit she needed more information.”
    Roxanne laughed. “She only admitted that we needed more information. Miss Brewster, I’m glad you joined the group. I’ve been trying to get Emmaline Prinney to come along, but she says she’s too busy taking care of Grace and Favor.“
    “It’s the truth, I’m afraid,“ Lily said with a smile. “I hardly ever see her even sit down except at meals.”
    Roxanne went back to her original subject and addressed Phoebe again. “Mrs. White has a good husband who has a job. She’s got money and free time. I don’t hold that against her. I used to have that kind of life, and I wouldn’t have willingly given it up. But she can’t understand what some of the rest of us are going through.”
    She turned to Lily.
    “My husband had a job selling farm tools. The company went bankrupt. He gets dressed in a suit and tie every day and goes out looking for another job. It’s very hard for us. He was such a nice man, a