mean."
"Never mind what he means," shouted Sir Walter. "_That's_ of no
consequence."
"No consequence!" exclaimed the Admiral, flaring up. "Why, I mean more
in a minute than you do in a week!"
"You _say_ more in a minute than anybody could mean in a month,"
retorted Sir Walter, flourishing his tobacco-plant.
"_I_ can talk a year without meaning _anything_," said the Highlander,
proudly; but no one took any notice of this remark, which, of course,
served him right.
The Admiral stared at Sir Walter for a moment through his spy-glass, and
then said very firmly, "You're a pig!" at which the Highlander again
consulted his watch, and then shouted, "Two pigs!" with great
enthusiasm, as if that were the time of day.
"And you're another," said Sir Walter, angrily. "If it comes to that,
we're all pigs."
"Dear me!" cried Dorothy, quite distressed at all this. "What makes you
all quarrel so? You ought to be ashamed of yourselves."
"We're all ashamed of one another, if _that_ will do any good," said the
Admiral.
"And, you see, that gives each of us two persons to be ashamed of,"
added Sir Walter, with an air of great satisfaction.
"But that isn't what I mean at all," said Dorothy. "I mean that each one
of you ought to be ashamed of _himself_."
"Why, we're each being ashamed of by two persons already," said the
Admiral, peevishly. "I should think _that_ was enough to satisfy
anybody."
"But that isn't the same thing," insisted Dorothy. "Each particular him
ought to be ashamed of each particular self." This remark sounded very
fine indeed, and Dorothy felt so pleased with herself for having made
it that she went on to say, "And the truth of it is, you all argue
precisely like a lot of little school-children."
Now, Dorothy herself was only about four feet high, but she said this in
such a superior manner that the entire Caravan stared at her with great
admiration for a moment, and then began to give a little cheer; but just
at this instant the umbrella made a great plunge, as if somebody had
given it a sudden push, and the whole party tumbled into the bottom of
it like a lot of dolls.
"What kind of a boat do you call this?" shouted Sir Walter, as they all
scrambled to their feet and clung desperately to the handle.
"It's a paragondola," said the Admiral, who had suddenly become very
pale. "You see, it isn't exactly like an ordinary ship."
"I should think not!" said Sir Walter, indignantly. "I'd as lie
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