Professor Menu 193

Wall-flowers were growing in all the tackle
blocks and the holes of the dead-eyes ; there
were nasturtiums trailing up the mast ; thistles
waved in the tops; the bulwarks were cov-
ered with stonecrop and London-pride.

“ Horrid!” said the Captain. ‘Catch me
taking aboard a cargo of maniac vegetables
and seed-scatterers again! I suppose you
took this ship for a seed-vessel!” And with
this parting shot he flew to the ginger-beer
bottle for solace. I found that he was always
in a state of ginger-beer.

On looking about me, I perceived the
meaning of his last allusion: the deck was
piled up to the tops with threepenny packets
of seeds.

The doctor (whose name was Merioneth)
and I stood leaning over the bulwarks in
the moonlight.

“You appear to be a bit of a gabbler,”
he said suddenly; “so I feel inclined to
tell you the secret of my life.”

I looked round, and perceived the strange
man eyeing me furtively; and a sensation

of horror crept over me as I seemed to
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