"Yes, you seem to be the most successful one they've got!" Alice
said, lightly. "You certainly do belong to them." And she
laughed as if at something hidden from him. "Don't you?"

"But you've just excused me for that," he protested. "You said
nobody could be blamed for my being their third cousin. What a
contradictory girl you are!"

Alice shook her head. "Let's keep away from the kind of girl I
am."

"No," he said. "That's just what I came here to talk about."

She shook her head again. "Let's keep first to the kind of man
you are. I'm glad you were in the War."

"Why?"

"Oh, I don't know." She was quiet a moment, for she was thinking
that here she spoke the truth: his service put about him a little
glamour that helped to please her with him. She had been pleased
with him during their walk; pleased with him on his own account;
and now that pleasure was growing keener. She looked at him, and
though the light in which she saw him was little more than
starlight, she saw that he was looking steadily at her with a
kindly and smiling seriousness. All at once it seemed to her
that the night air was sweeter to breathe, as if a distant
fragrance of new blossoms had been blown to her. She smiled back
to him, and said, "Well, what kind of man are you?"