5But it was not easy to make John open his eyes pretty wide. And the meeting was therefore curious; for John, who had not been prepared for it, was far calmer than Michael, who had been. But neither of them was quite as calm as Nan, who so tired after the journey from town, seemed hardly more surprised to see her own son after four years’ absence than any casual stranger who might have called.
The evening, though, passed in an atmosphere of cordiality. John, always a good listener, was perfectly ready to let Michael talk, and Michael, always a good talker, became, under the influence of champagne, brilliant, vivacious, even uproarious. His account of how he had made his fortune amused John intensely. “You’ve really had the most amazing luck, Michael,” he said, at the finish of the story.
