Tom looked puzzled and Sam most unhappy. He tried to smile, but made a poor effort of it. The man in the Panama returned to a study of the golf balls. After a moment he completed his selection and nodded to Tom.
“I’ll take these,” he said. Then, as Tom proceeded to do them up, he turned toward Sam, who was looking very intently at something in a show-case, and viewed him appraisingly. Sam, well aware of the scrutiny, felt his cheeks growing hot again.
“I’ve been wondering ever since if it was an aëroplane,” said the man presently. Sam tried to pretend that he didn’t know the remark was addressed to him, but something compelled him to meet the issue.
“What, sir?” he asked.
“I said I’d been wondering if it was an aëroplane,” repeated the other. “I’m interested in aëroplanes and wouldn’t want to miss seeing one. It was that, wasn’t it?”
“I—I don’t quite understand,” stammered Sam.
“I refer to your intent study of the heavens,” replied the other, with deep gravity. “You seemed to be so absorbed——”
“I was looking at the new building, sir. I—I’m sorry I was so stupid!”
“So that was it? Well, I’m glad it wasn’t an aëroplane.”
Tom, handing the package across and accepting the bill proffered in payment, was plainly nonplussed. It sounded to him as though the two had gone quite crazy! He looked at Sam and then at the man in the Panama, and, finally, as he returned the change, he blurted: