"Probably because we have had orders not to go any farther."
"Do you mean that we are blocked?"
"The train ahead of us is. We shall stay here until that gets through."
"You seem very cheerful about it," she said, observing his expression.
"Ah, I should think so!"
His short lip curled in the first smile she had seen upon his strong, brooding face. She could not help smiling in response, but she felt bound to protest against his irresponsible view of the situation.
"Have you so much time to spend upon the road? I thought the men of this country were always in a hurry."
"It makes a difference where a man is going, and on what errand, and what fortune he meets with on the way. I am not going to Volney."
She did not understand his emphasis, nor the bearing of his words. His eyes dropped to her hands lying in her lap, still holding the glove she had been mending.
"How nicely you do it! How can you take such little stitches without pricking yourself, when the train is going?"