Evidently she had no comment to offer. She was hard to talk to. But he tried again.
"The fact is, I never expected to catch your—that train. It was only when I saw—saw"—he floundered on the verge of saying "you," but veered off hastily—"when I saw that brakeman's expression of tired contempt, I simply sailed through the air like a—a—like a—one of those—er you know——"
"Do you mean kangaroos?" she ventured so listlessly that the quick flush of chagrin on his face died out again; because it was quite impossible that such infantine coldness and candour could be secretly trifling with his dignity.
"It was a long jump," he concluded gayly, "but I did some jumping at Harvard and I made it and managed to hold on."
"You were very fortunate," she said, smiling for the first time.
And, looking at her, he thought he was; and he admitted it so blandly that he overdid the part. But he didn't know that.
"I fancy," he continued, "that everybody on that train except you and I were Germans. Such a type as sat opposite me——"
"Which car were you in?" she asked simply.
"Why—in your car——"
"In my car?"