They remarked on the situation of his house and the extent of his land.

They said to him, in fact, more than was immediately necessary, but not more than was pleasant for him to hear or for them to tell.

It is a very taciturn man who, meeting a stranger in a wilderness, does not treat him with more or less of friendly loquacity.
Under the right circumstances Bates was a genial man.

He liked the look of these men; he liked the tone of their talk; and had he liked them much less, the rarity of the occasion and the fact that he was their host would have expanded his spirits.

He asked astute questions about the region they had traversed, and, as they talked, he motioned them towards the house.