And yet he had begun to learn the language after reaching the age of manhood, and had acquired it mainly during three years of exile and teaching of Spanish in the United States.

His linguistic cleverness was a fair specimen of his general quickness of intellect.
Mrs.Stanley had liked him at first sight--that is, liked him for a man.
He knew it; he had seen that she was a person worth conciliating; he had addressed himself to her, let off his bows at her, made her the centre of conversation.

In ten minutes from the entrance of Coronado Mrs.Stanley was of opinion that Clara ought to go to California by way of the isthmus, although she had previously taken the overland route for granted.

In another ten minutes the matter was settled: the ladies were to go by way of New Orleans, Panama, and the Pacific.
Shortly afterward, Coronado and Thurstane took their leave; the Mexican affable, sociable, smiling, smoking; the American civil, but taciturn and grave.
"Aha! I have disappointed the young gentleman," thought Coronado as they parted, the one going to his quartermaster's office and the other to Garcia's house.
Coronado, although he had spent great part of his life in courting women, was a bachelor.

He had been engaged once in New Mexico and two or three times in New York, but had always, as he could tell you with a smile, been disappointed.