the collar.' 'White service
coat with gold shoulder marks indicating the rank.' 'Evening dress coat
of blue cloth with gilt buttons and sleeve lace.' 'Blue evening dress
waistcoat with gilt buttons.' 'Whiteevening dress coat.' 'White mess
jacket.' 'Full dress trousers of blue cloth and gold lace a quarter-inch
wide.' 'Undress blue trousers, plain.' 'White trousers and many of
them.' 'Service overcoat of heavy blue cloth.' 'Cloak of blue cloth.' 'A
black mackintosh.' 'Blue uniform cap.' 'White uniform cap.' 'Cork or
pith helmet.' 'Sword with sword knot.' 'Leggings.' 'A suit of rain
clothes.' 'Black satin or silk, four-in-hand tie.' 'Plain black tie for
evening dress uniform.' 'White gloves.' 'Black shoes.' 'White shoes.'"

In the pause that followed this reading, Louis looked disappointed.

"Would I have to get all these and take care of them if I went into the
navy?"

"That's right, my boy, and not only get 'em but wear 'em at the proper
times. My! Think of how you would have to hustle yourself out of one
suit into another in order not to break some rule of naval etiquette."

"And think of Louis," said Helen, "who can't find his clothes in the
morning when he has only one suit to look after, keeping track of all
that. Why, that is enough to give a girl nervous prostration, to say
nothing of a boy."

"I guess I don't want to enter the navy," said Louis in disgust.

Everybody roared, and then Randall said gravely:

"Do you know, beloved, that while I pray the Lord every day to keep me
from judging my fellow men, I just couldn't for the life of me help
passing judgment on a civilised custom which keeps alive all this war
fuss and feathers and asking men made in God's image to strut around in
all this gilt and lace toggery when immortal creatures are starving to
death by the million for the bread of life. And I just couldn't keep
still when day after day I heard on deck this naval fashion plate
girding at men and women whose plain shoes he wasn't worthy to black.
One day I up and gave him some real information about missionaries. He
had to listen, and when I got through, to my great joy, a plainly
dressed gentleman corroborated what I said and went me several better,
saying that the real awakening of China and Turkey and Japan and India
was due to the great work done by the missionaries. During his talk it
turned out he was the British Consul at Hong Kong, quietly travelling
home by way of America. I haven't had anyt