As Elizabeth watched John come to terms with the news she'd just told him, she reflected oddly on the fact that while only a few days ago she had been struggling with simply the idea of time travel, she was now convincing a stranger that yes, it had truly happened. It was either remarkable adaptivity or human gullibility, or perhaps a mixture of the two. "I suspect Jim is a rather common name. Were you fortunate to learn his surname or perhaps a title that might separate him from the rest?" Elizabeth shrugged. "Regarding your mental condition, we are either all sane and simply subjected to an incredible circumstance, or we have all gone impossibly mad."
When John questioned his behavior, Elizabeth found herself chuckling. Over the course of her time here, she'd learned not to expect the etiquette common to 1811, for so far she hadn't come across anyone who followed it. Upon meeting John, she'd all but forgotten that men would normally not speak to you unless previously introduced. At least John himself had far better manners than those she had met already.
Elizabeth flashed a grand smile. "Don't worry yourself about manners, John. That may be the least of our worries now. I find all this behavioral variety rather interesting, anyhow."