A cool evening breeze was blowing in at the open window, quickly dispersing the blue smoke from the cigar.
"Smoking already? then you will have nothing more to eat," said a girl, entering from an adjoining room. She wore a fresh white apron made with a stomacher, and was peculiarly neat and nice in her whole dress. Her figure was slender and supple; her face oval yet full, with bright, intelligent brown eyes; and three tiers of heavy brown braids were wound like a crown about her head.
With a ready flow of words she continued: "You must excuse us; we had done expecting you to dinner, it was so late."
"Everything was excellent. Come and sit down by me a little while, sister-in-law."
"In a minute; as soon as I have cleared up. I cannot sit down with the things all standing about so."
"You must have everything as neat and orderly as yourself."
"Thank you for the compliment. I am glad you have not spent them all at the doctor's."
"Come back as soon as you can; I've ever so much to tell you."
After leaving the guest alone again for a while, the landlord's daughter returned with a piece of knitting-work in her hand, and took a seat opposite him at the table. "Well, let me hear," she said.
The engineer told her how he had been accompanying the doctor on his daily round over the mountains, and could not sufficiently praise his wondrous insight into the life of the people. He found them as the doctor had described, industrious and pious, yet without bigotry.