THE professor's DINNER. 267 



they were able to finish but very shallow spoons after 

 all. The peas being at length done, they were poured 

 into the common dish, and lo ! it was all soup. To 

 prevent the possibility of the professor's getting even 

 a moiety, they had cooked them so that the peas were 

 like Yirgil's " rari nantes in gurgite vasto.''^ 



Imagine them now all seated on the ground around 

 their food, each stabbing with his penknife at the 

 peas, which dodge under the surface at every 

 blow, like frogs when pelted with stones by mis- 

 chievous boys. After this ridiculous process had been 

 carried on awhile, \o the ill-suppressed merriment of 

 the student and hunter, they whipped out their 

 wooden spoon:^, and flourishing them over their heads 

 with a loud "hurrah," made a dive at the peas. The 

 professor said nothing, but coolly drawing forth his 

 huge muscle shell and stick, and fitting them together, 

 began to ladle up the soup. The hunter and graduate 

 stopped in utter amazement at this new development, 

 and with their spoons suspended half way to their 

 mouths, gazed with blank countenances at the quiet 

 professor, who, without uttering a word, or changing 

 a feature, diligently plied his shell. By his accurate 

 and mathematical mode of ladling, he was enabled to 



