After the young woman in the glass cage had held hold up to him across her counter the pale-pink leaflet bearing his friend 's name , which she neatly pronounced pronounce , he turned turn away to find himself , in the hall , facing face a lady who met meet his eyes as with an intention suddenly determined , and whose features -- not freshly young , not markedly fine , but on happy terms with each other -- came come back to him as from a recent vision .

At supper they talked talk with him perfunctorily , and covertly sneered sneer because he sprinkled sprinkle his food liberally with cayenne and his speech with Spanish words pronounced pronounce with soft , slurred slur vowels that made them sound unfamiliar , and against which his English contrasted sharply with its crisp , American enunciation .