[the dog breaks his thinking with the bark - his surprise is brief, and he might have crouched down to pat them had the owner not so swiftly showed up. honestly, in this state, he could have passed by ten people and not known. but he recovers quickly, looking at the young man as though there was nothing to hesitate.]

It's a generous offer, but no, nothing physical. I was more calculating what a place such as this was liable to have hidden away - if there were any secret passages, or if there was something like a library.

[and this is the simplest way of stating the truth.]