18 



THE LAST CRUISE OF THE MIRANDA. 



length upon this provision, and passed the egg to let his 

 brother professor inspect the shell, beneath an aperture of 

 which another shell had apparently formed. " I have had a 

 varied experience with hard-boiled eggs," said the Professor's 

 brother in arms, " but this is certainly the hardest egg that 

 I have ever seen/' and he hit the egg a crack with his knife, 



GROUP OF PROFESSORS. 



but the knife rebounded. Professor Brewer then took the egg 

 in hand again, and struck it a resounding thump with a heavy 

 plated spoon. " Why, by Jolly/' he exclaimed, "it's a china 

 egg ! " And then the inextinguishable laughter of the gods 

 arose ; but notwithstanding, the Professor finished his lecture 

 upon Nature's method of mending eggs. It is needless to say 



