Captain Lovelock was more disposed to conversation than Bernard had known him before. His discourse of old had been languid and fragmentary, and our hero had never heard him pursue a train of ideas through so many involutions. To Bernard’s observant eye, indeed, the Captain was an altered man. His manner betrayed a certain restless desire to be agreeable, to anticipate judgment--a disposition to smile, and be civil, and entertain his auditor, a tendency to move about and look out of the window and at the clock. He struck Bernard as a trifle nervous--as less solidly planted on his feet than when he lounged along the Baden gravel-walks by the side of his usual companion--a lady for whom, apparently, his admiration was still considerable. Bernard was curious to see whether he would ring the bell to inquire into the delay attending the service of lunch; but before this sentiment, rather idle under the circumstances, was gratified, Blanche passed into the room from a neighboring apartment. To Bernard’s perception Blanche, at least, was always Blanche; she was a person in whom it would not have occurred to him to expect any puzzling variation, and the tone of her little, soft, thin voice instantly rang in his ear like an echo of yesterday’s talk. He had already remarked to himself that after however long an interval one might see Blanche, she re-appeared with an air of familiarity. This was in some sense, indeed, a proof of the agreeable impression she made, and she looked exceedingly pretty as she now suddenly stopped on seeing our two gentlemen, and gave a little cry of surprise. “Ah! I did n’t know you were here. They never told me. Have you been waiting a long time? How d’ ye do? You must think we are polite.” She held out her hand to Bernard, smiling very graciously. At Captain Lovelock she barely glanced. “I hope you are very well,” she went on to Longueville; “but I need n’t ask that. You ‘re as blooming as a rose. What in the world has happened to you? You look so brilliant--so fresh. Can you say that to a man--that he looks fresh? Or can you only say that about butter and eggs?” “It depends upon the man,” said Captain Lovelock. “You can’t say that a man ‘s fresh who spends his time in running about after you!”