and black band around it; his tweed suit was of a startling light
gray, marked off into checks with stripes of green; his waistcoat
was of lavender, and his hose were likewise of lavender, but red
predominated in both his shirt and his necktie. His collar was
too high for his short neck, and seemed to cause him discomfort.
But this attempt at gayety of dress was of no avail; one felt at
once that it was a surface thing and had no connection with
Elmer's soul; it stood out in front of the background of his
sorrowful personality, accentuating the gloom, as a blossom may
grow upon a bleak rock. As Elmer carefully dropped ice, piece by
piece, into the oblong box, progressing slowly from hole to hole,
Cleggett thought he had never seen a more depressed young man.

Captain Abernethy approached Cleggett. There was hesitation in
the brown old man's feet, there was doubt upon his wrinkled brow,
but there was the consciousness of duty in the poise of his
shoulders, there was determination in his eyes.

The blonde lady laughed softly as the sailing-master of the
Jasper B. saluted the owner of the vessel.

"He is going to tell you," she said to Cleggett, including the
Captain himself in her flashing look and her remark, "he is going
to tell you that you really should get rid of me and my boxes at
once--I can see it in his face!"

Captain Abernethy stopped short at this, and stared. It was
precisely what he HAD planned to say after drawing Cleggett
discreetly aside. But it is rather startling to have one's
thoughts read in this manner.