Therefore in his stead he was sending a trustworthy man to town,
who would look after me and drive me over. They were looking
forward to my visit with much pleasure. This was all.

Yes, I was dazed. How did they count distance in this country?
You spoke in a neighborly fashion about driving over to town, and
it meant--I did not know yet how many days. And what would be
meant by the term "dropping in," I wondered. And how many miles
would be considered really far? I abstained from further
questioning the "trustworthy man." My questions had not fared
excessively well. He did not propose making me dance, to be sure:
that would scarcely be trustworthy. But neither did he propose to
have me familiar with him. Why was this? What had I done to
elicit that veiled and skilful sarcasm about oddities coming in
on every train? Having been sent to look after me, he would do
so, would even carry my valise; but I could not be jocular with
him. This handsome, ungrammatical son of the soil had set between
us the bar of his cold and perfect civility. No polished person
could have done it better. What was the matter? I looked at him,
and suddenly it came to me. If he had tried familiarity with me
the first two minutes of our acquaintance, I should have resented
it; by what right, then, had I tried it with him? It smacked of
patronizing: on this occasion he had come off the better
gentleman of the two. Here in flesh and blood was a truth which I
had long believed in words, but never met before. The creature we
call a GENTLEMAN lies deep in the hearts of thousands that are
born without chance to master the outward graces of the type.

Between the station and the eating-house I did a deal of straight
thinking. But my thoughts were destined presently to be drowned