His self-directed remark gave her some hope, though she wasn't sure why. What good would it do for him to believe every word of her plight and the plight of all the patients here? She still didn't fully understand the situation she was in--who could?--but she was fairly certain any steps he made in her direction could be swiftly undone by those who disapproved. And though he seemed genuinely to care, she doubted he would make a stand in the patients' favor.

But it couldn't hurt to be honest, she kept telling herself. At least--it couldn't hurt at this point.

"It's not that I don't know what a telephone is," she corrected. "I'm well acquainted with their operation. However . . . it would seem I'm more familiar with an earlier version."