y, considering--and
considering--and considering--

And at last, after innumerable adventures, each more wonderful than the
last, he saw before him a huge building, much bigger, and--what is most
surprising--a little uglier than a certain new lunatic asylum, but not
built quite of the same materials. None of it, at least--or, indeed, for
aught that I ever saw, any part of any other building whatsoever--is
cased with nine-inch brick inside and out, and filled up with rubble
between the walls, in order that any gentleman who has been confined
during Her Majesty's pleasure may be unconfined during his own pleasure,
and take a walk in the neighbouring park to improve his spirits, after
an hour's light and wholesome labour with his dinner-fork or one of the
legs of his iron bedstead. No. The walls of this building were built on
an entirely different principle, which need not be described, as it has
not yet been discovered.

Tom walked towards this great building, wondering what it was, and
having a strange fancy that he might find Mr. Grimes inside it, till he
saw running toward him, and shouting "Stop!" three or four people, who,
when they came nearer, were nothing else than policemen's truncheons,
running along without legs or arms.

Tom was not astonished. He was long past that. Besides, he had seen the
naviculae in the water move nobody knows how, a hundred times, without
arms, or legs, or anything to stand in their stead. Neither was he
frightened; for he had been doing no harm.

So he stopped; and, when the foremost truncheon came up and asked his
business, he showed Mother Carey's pass; and the truncheon looked at it
in the oddest fashion; for he had one eye in the middle of his upper
end, so that when he looked at anything, being quite stiff, he had to
slope himself, and poke himself, till it was a wonder why he did not
tumble over; but, being quite full of the spirit of justice (as all
policemen, and their truncheons, ought to be), he was always in a
position of stable equilibrium, whichever way he put himself.

"All right--pass on," said he at last. And then he added: "I had better
go with you, young man." And Tom had no objection, for such company was
both respectable and safe; so the truncheon coiled its thong neatly
round its handle, to prevent tripping itself up--for the thong had got
loose in running--and marched on by Tom's side.

"Why have you no policeman to carry you?" asked Tom, after a while.

"B