"Oh, her brother asked me that first day."
"What?"
De Poincy nodded.
"And when I thought they didn't so much as know that I was American!" He laughed with that excessive bitterness of youth perturbed, and pretended to speak apologetically. "You see, I've plumed myself on my French since I was seven, and my name tells nothing."
"Your French is all right, but you don't imagine people like that would put themselves out for the premier venu as they did for you from the start."
Gano shrugged.
"My mistake was that, even without my banker's reference, I didn't look upon myself as the premier venu."
"I must say I admired the charming way they conveyed the idea to you that Mademoiselle Lucie—"
"Shut up."
"My dear fellow, you would never have dreamed of Mademoiselle Lucie, enchanting as she is, if it hadn't been for their tact in pointing out that—"