He observed, now, that the Japanese
passenger had permitted the screen door to slam in the face of the man
following him; with a very definite appreciation of the good things of
life, he had instantly selected the chair in the corner opposite
Farrel, where he could smoke his cigar free from the wind. Following
the Japanese came an American, as distinctive of his class as the
Japanese was of his. In point of age, this man was about fifty years
old--a large man strikingly handsome and of impressive personality. He
courteously held the door open to permit the passage of the girl whom
Farrel had noticed when he first entered the car.
To Farrel, at least, a surprising incident now occurred. There were
eight vacant seats on the platform, and the girl's glance swept them
all; he fancied it rested longest upon the chair beside him. Then,
with the faintest possible little _moue_ of disapproval, she seated
herself beside the Japanese. The other man took the seat in front of
the girl, half turned, and entered into conversation with the Jap.
Farrel studied the trio with interest, decided that they were traveling
together, and that the man in the gray tweeds was the father of the
girl. She bore a striking resemblance to him and had inherited his
handsome features a thousandfold, albeit her eyes were different, being
large, brown, and wide apart; from them beamed a sweetness, a
benignancy, and tenderness that, to the impressionable Farrel, bespoke
mental as well as physical beauty.
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