“Oh, no! Just the opposite. I sighed because I was so happy.”
“Have you any book on etiquette?” he continued, casting an eye round his own well-filled book-shelves thoughtfully.
“Etiquette? What is that?”
“Good behaviour, I think, but I’m not sure.”
“No, I haven’t any book on etiquette; but I remember what my aunt taught me.”
“Well, what did she tell you?” he asked, leaning his head against the chair-back, and looking across at her out of half-closed eyes.
“She told me always to be polite to people, and unselfish. You see, there wasn’t much else she could tell, because I couldn’t talk.”
“To be polite and unselfish! Umph! that’s good behaviour, is it? I think I’ve explained etiquette wrongly to you, then.” After a silence he continued: “I believe etiquette has to do with correct behaviour. Do you know anything about that?”
“Oh! I expect that is being stiff. No, I don’t know anything about that. We weren’t at all stiff at home. You see, there was no need to be. We had no servants nor anything, and we always said what we thought. At least, uncle and aunt did, and I listened. But why are you asking about it?”
“I’m very undecided in my mind about you.”