"Very," commented the scientist, with wasted irony. "Can't you give any description of him? When and how did you see him, anyway?"
The proprietor put his hands into his pockets and swayed backward and forward on the balls of his feet. He surveyed each member of his little audience with glances of poignant meaning, as one who had much of consequence to tell—all in good time.
Finally he spoke. "He was black," he said, "black all over."
"Yes, yes," exclaimed Ralph impatiently, "you told us that before. Can't you give us something definite to go by? His face, for instance. What was that like?"
The other leaned forward and tapped him on the chest impressively.
"Ay, that was black too," he said.
"Black!" cried Ralph.
"Black it was—all covered with a black cloth," said the none-too-intelligent shopkeeper smugly. "He come right out of the air before my very eyes, all black, with a black cloth on his face, and rolled out of my store like a cyclone."
"You should have tried to hold him," said Ralph.
"Well, I gave him a look, I can tell you. He won't forget it in a hurry. I just stood there and looked at him—like this."