The situation, however new to her, is clear. She has been provided with a husband, and each time that husband goes into the attic, he is replaced with a different husband. Where the husbands come from, how many there are, even in some cases their names: mysteries she can address in due course. But the basic mechanics are undeniable, and so is the fact that the current husband is—well, perhaps safest just to say a dud.
