His clothes were all black,
At the front and the back,
His handkerchief, watch-chain, and locket, and tie,
His shirt and his studs, and his collar so high,
His boots and his buttons, his hat and his rings—
In short, every one of his visible things
Was as black as a crow, and—keep down your sniggers—
His face and his hands were as black as a nigger’s!
He took his hat off
And uttered a cough;