They were in the deck saloon of a steamer which had left Washington about an hour before for Mount Vernon.

Through the open doorway to their left they saw a wide expanse of river, flowing between banks of spring green, and above it thunderous clouds, in a hot blue.

The saloon, and the decks outside, held a great crowd of passengers, of whom the majority were women.
The tone in which Roger Barnes spoke was good-tempered, but quite perfunctory.

Any shrewd observer would have seen that whether his uncle liked the States or not did not in truth matter to him a whit.
"And I consider all the arrangements for this trip most unsatisfactory," the General continued angrily.

"The steamer's too small, the landing-place is too small, the crowd getting on board was something disgraceful.