Page 215 - Adventures in shadow-land
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cidente had so annoyed the professor that instead
of going to the North Seas with his grandson he
shut himself up in the house and began to write a
book. The book was in opposition to a theory
put forth by a learned merman in the Baltic Sea
that human beings were undeveloped mermen.
The professor, however, declared til at they were
no such thing, but simply undeveloped walruses/
He began his first chapter by saying that, while he
had the highest respect for the Baltic merman’s
acquirements, intellect, penetration and general
infallibility, he nevertheless felt himself obliged
to declare that none but an idiot or a madman
could come to the conclusion of the learned man
aforesaid. He (the professor) wished to lay down
his platform in the beginning, and state that he
differed from the opinions of the learned author
on this and all other conceivable points.
"Y o u ’d a good deal better go along with me,
grandfather,'1 said the young merman, swimming
into the room where the professor was sitting with
his big books all about him. l* Think how nice
and cool it will be among the icebergs this hot
weather. Hadn't you better com e?'*
4 *
