It seemed to him that the russets were more appropriate anyway, but the blacks were easier to lace.

Had I noticed whether the men on board were wearing russet or black as a rule, and did Alice remember whether it was one of the russets or one of the blacks that he was saying the other day pinched his toe?
He didn't quite like the looks of a russet shoe with dark trousers, and called us to witness that those he had on were dark; but he thought he remembered that it was the black shoe which pinched him.

He supposed he could change his trousers--and so on, and so on, _al fine_, _de capo_, _ad lib._, sticking out first one foot and then the other, lifting them alternately to his knee for scrutiny, appealing now to Alice and now to me, and getting more hopelessly bewildered all the time.

It went on that way for, it seemed to me, at least half an hour, and at last I said, 'Oh, come now, Julius, take off the brown shoe--it's too thin, and doesn't go with your dark trousers, and pinches your toe, and none of the men are wearing them--and just put on the other black one, and come along.

We're all suffocating for some fresh air, and if you don't get started pretty soon we sha'n't get on deck to-day.' 'Get on deck!' he said, looking up at me with a puzzled expression, and holding fast to the brown shoe on his knee with both hands, as if he were afraid I would take it away from him by main strength--'get on deck! Why--why--I believe I'd better not go out this morning, don't you ?'" "And then ?" said John after a pause.
"Oh," she replied, "I looked at Alice, and she shook her head as much to say, 'It's no use for the present,' and I fled the place." "M'm!" muttered John.