"How do you do? I've heard so much about you I feel as if I'd known you long ago."
She was so winning, I could see he was quite taken aback. He took the little white hand and looked down from his splendid height to the sweet eyes that gazed into his. He bowed with icy politeness.
"I feel flattered, I assure you, that my brother should have mentioned me to you."
Here he shot a dark look at me.
"Sit down again, Garry," I said. "Berna and I want to talk to you."
He complied, but with an ill grace. We all three sat down and a grave constraint was upon us. Berna broke the silence.
"What sort of a trip have you had?"
He looked at her keenly. He saw a simple girl, shy and sweet, gazing at him with a flattering interest.
"Oh, not so bad. Travelling sixty miles a day on a jolting stage gets monotonous, though. The road-houses were pretty decent as a rule, but some were vile. However, it's all new and interesting to me."
"You will stay with us for a time, won't you?"