‘Who are you? What do you want? Are you a beggar? Do you seek alms?’
The old woman did not answer. I bent down to her, and noticed that both her
eyes were covered with a half-transparent membrane or skin, such as is seen
in some birds; they protect their eyes with it from dazzling light.
But in the old woman, the membrane did not move nor uncover the eyes ...
from which I concluded she was blind.
‘Do you want alms?’ I repeated my question. ‘Why are you following me?’
But the old woman as before made no answer, but only shrank into herself a
little.