Короли и капуста

           Geddie,whosequietandgenialnaturehadonceservedtomitigatethefrequentdullreactionoflotuseating,wasnowahome-man,happywithhisbrightorchid,Paula,andneverevendreamingoforregrettingtheunsolved,sealedandmonogramedBottlewhosecontents,nowinconsiderable,wereheldsafelyinthekeepingofthesea.

           WellmaytheWalrus,mostdiscerningandeclecticofbeasts,placesealing-waxmidwayonhisprogrammeoftopicsthatfallpertinentanddivertingupontheear.

           Atwoodwasgone—heofthehospitablebackporchandingenuouscunning.Dr.Gregg,withhistrepanningstorysmoulderingwithinhim,wasawhiskeredvolcano,alwaysshowingsignsofimminenteruption,andwasnottobeconsideredintheranksofthosewhomightcontributetotheameliorationofennui.Thenewconsul’snotechimedwiththesadseawavesandtheviolenttropicalgreens—hehadnotabarofScheherezadeoroftheRoundTableinhislute.Goodwinwasemployedwithlargeprojects:whattimehewasloosedfromthemfoundhimathishome,wherehelovedtobe.ThereforeitwillbeseenthattherewasadearthoffellowshipandentertainmentamongtheforeigncontingentofCoralio.

           AndthenDickyMaloneydroppeddownfromthecloudsuponthetown,andamusedit.

           NobodyknewwhereDickyMaloneyhailedfromorhowhereachedCoralio.Heappearedthereoneday;andthatwasall.HeafterwardsaidthathecameonthefruitsteamerThor;butaninspectionoftheThor’spassengerlistofthatdatewasfoundtobeMaloneyless.