Brice felt, rather than saw, her appraisal.

And he knew she was contrasting his costume with his voice and his clean-shaven face.

She broke the moment of embarrassed silence by saying "You must be tired after your long tramp, from Miami.

Were you walking for fun and exercise, or are you bound for any especial place ?" He knew she was fencing, that his clothes made her wonder if she ought not to offer him some cash payment for finding her dog,--a reward she would never have dreamed of offering on the strength of his manner and voice.

Also, it seemed, she was seeking some way of closing the interview without dismissing him or walking away.