Read the excerpt below and answer the question.

"Mrs. Pike!' Mrs. Fletcher could only sputter and let curling fluid roll into her ear. "How could Mrs. Pike possibly know I was pregnant or otherwise, when she doesn't even know me? The nerve of some people!"

Based on the word choice and diction that Mrs. Fletcher uses in this excerpt from "The Petrified Man," the reader may infer that her tone is _____.

cautious
impulsive
indignant
understanding