His song had taken on a reflective tone as that of one who cons a problem, or musically ponders which card to play.

He was kneeling before an old trunk in his bedchamber.

From one compartment he took a neatly folded pair of duck trousers and a light-gray tweed coat; from another, a straw hat with a ribbon of bright colors.

They had lain in the trunk a long time undisturbed; and he examined them musingly.

He shook the coat and brushed it; then he laid the garments upon his bed, and proceeded to shave himself carefully, after which he donned the white trousers, the gray coat, and, rummaging in the trunk again, found a gay pink cravat, which he fastened about his tall collar (also a resurrection from the trunk) with a pearl pin.
After that he had a long, solemn time arranging his hair with a pair of brushes.