To emphasize the formality of the occasion the author employs primarily formal vocabulary to communicate his ideas to the reader. The usage of the literary-bookish words (‘to stalk about’, ‘’to subtract’, ‘to have something on your mind’,‘Mr. Behrman’, ‘clinical thermometer’) creates the serious general tone of the occasion.

         At the same time there are a lot of informal words (‘bosh!’, ‘goosey’, ‘greedy self’, ‘flibbertigibbet’, ‘but, lo!’, ‘duffer’) which create a contrast to formal vocabulary. Due to the vocabulary used, the story is very emotional.