"Good-morning," she said as she handed him the bills.
He accepted the money with his left hand and, with his right, raised his cap from his clustering curls. His lips ceased whistling, half regretfully.
"Goot-mornin'," he replied, smiling.
"Won't you come in and have a drink?" asked Violet, adopting Rose's form of salutation.
"No, t'ank you," the German shook his head. "I neffer trinks nussing bud beer."
"Well," said Violet, "we have lots of that now."
"Und I neffer trink dot till tinner."
There was an awkward pause. The German, not knowing how to leave without seeming rudeness, was shifting his weight from one heavily shod foot to the other. The woman, uncertain how to say the words she wanted to say, remained with her hand upon the knob.
"You don't?" she awkwardly repeated.
"No, und so I t'ink—I t'ink I besser be goin'," he hurriedly concluded, and began to turn on his heel.