A direct answer is delayed momentarily by Ellis' observation of the hound. The impulse to whistle her over comes and goes. She is not, after all, his dog to call.

"I'm well," is an afterthought, because he is aware Bastien is likely to repeat the question if not provided with an answer. "You?"

The polite ??? sequence of statements. Or so Ellis has gleaned from Wysteria in the course of their acquaintance.