It's not a matter of being able to laugh, or wanting to do it around a stranger--it's that he's an awkward man who doesn't know how to socialize. Which, she will learn in just a moment as he shifts from foot to foot, turning his head to cast her a glance from aside the collar of his coat.

"I suppose I could ask. However, that would require getting into a casual conversation with them, which, I presently am trying to think of how to do that."

There's pauses between a lot of his words, like he has to think--hard--about everything he's saying. "I am a great historian. I am not a great people person."