Chronicles of Avonlea

Spencervale gossip always said that "Old Lady Lloyd" was rich and mean and proud. Gossip, asusual, was one-third right and two-thirds wrong. Old Lady Lloyd was neither rich nor mean; inreality she was pitifully poor-so poor that "Crooked Jack" Spencer, who dug her garden andchopped her wood for her, was opulent by contrast, for he, at least, never lacked three meals a day, and the Old Lady could sometimes achieve no more than one. But she WAS very proud-so proudthat she would have died rather than let the Spencervale people, among whom she had queened it inher youth, suspect how poor she was and to what straits was sometimes reduced. She muchpreferred to have them think her miserly and odd-a queer old recluse who never went anywhere, even to church, and who paid the smallest subscription to the minister's salary of anyone in thecongregation."And her just rolling in wealth!" they said indignantly. "Well, she didn't get her miserly ways fromher parents. THEY were real generous and neighbourly. There never was a finer gentleman than oldDoctor Lloyd. He was always doing kindnesses to everybody; and he had a way of doing them thatmade you feel as if you was doing the favour, not him. Well, well, let Old Lady Lloyd keep herselfand her money to herself if she wants to. If she doesn't want our company, she doesn't have tosuffer it, that's all. Reckon she isn't none too happy for all her money and pride