Mrs. Blaine is the only person at the Home who will allow Daria to read to her, most likely because she is deaf and can't actually hear Daria's deadpan voice and caustic choice of literature.

Daria assumes that the joke is on her at first, but it turns out that although Mrs. Blaine can't hear the stories, she is still grateful for the company and asks Daria to continue, telling her that she has a very pretty voice. Daria turns the situation to her advantage by reading her Melody Powers stories to Mrs. Blaine. Mrs. Blaine can't hear them anyway, and Daria gets to hear them aloud presumably so she can proofread them.