46 COLOUR-SIGHT AND COLOUR-BLINDNESS 



I tested him and each time he was worse than before. One 

 day in the most delicate role I could assume I questioned him 

 as to the existence of — 



" A dearer one still, and a nearer one yet, than all other ? " 

 He blushingly answered — there was ; and I bade him brin^ her 

 on her Sunday out. She had never heard of colour-blindness 

 and being particularly sharp herself was astonished, aye, vexed 

 at her lover's mistakes. I told her to get a lot of skeins of 

 colou'-ed worsted similar to those I had and to coach her friend 

 for a future examination. She did so and the couple returned 

 to me two or three weeks later jubilant with the certainty of the 

 youth's success — and in a fashion he was successful. Try him 

 as I pleased and shuffle his wools as I might he never faltered, 

 he never failed ; then I bethought me to test him with my wools. 

 He was hopelessly colour-blind. 



Examinee 14 was a sturdy married man who had the 

 chance of employment on our railways. Finding he was colour- 

 blind I said nothing but told him to present himself for re- 

 examination and to bring his wife with him. When ?he arrived 

 I told her I had sent for her to see fair play. I warned her to- 

 say nothing no matter what she saw else I would send her from 

 the room. Poor woman ! She knew nothing of colour-blindness. 

 For a time she watched the blunders of her better half, but when 

 he selected a coflfee-brown skein for a bright green she could 

 contain herself no longer but whacked her hubby on his head 



with her "brolly," called him a fool and bounced from 



my office. 



Examinee 16 was a fireman, who, through colour-blindness, 

 had lost his place on the " foot-plate." Some considerable time 

 after he came to me with a certificate from an ophthalmic 

 surgeon wherein it was stated the late fireman had normal 

 colour perception. After showing me this he threatened me 

 with the vengeance of some association to which he belonged. 

 I retested him then and said nothing to him beyond advising 

 him to go about his business. From me he went to the office 

 of the Chief Mechanical Engineer and showing his document 

 declared he was an ill-used man, having lost his billet through 

 my mistake. I was asked to re-examine him and consented to 

 do so if a responsible officer of the department was present. 

 The candidate and the witness arrived together ; I showed the 

 former the green test skein and asked him to pick out from the 

 lot anything like it carefully avoiding the mention of any 



