are thousands, ay, millions, of both of them in the world,
yet there is not one too many.

Now it befell that, on the very shore, and over the very rocks, where
Tom was sitting with his friend the lobster, there walked one day the
little white lady, Ellie herself, and with her a very wise man
indeed--Professor Ptthmllnsprts.

His mother was a Dutchwoman, and therefore he was born at Curacao (of
course you have learnt your geography, and therefore know why); and his
father a Pole, and therefore he was brought up at Petropaulowski (of
course you have learnt your modern politics, and therefore know why):
but for all that he was as thorough an Englishman as ever coveted his
neighbour's goods. And his name, as I said, was Professor Ptthmllnsprts,
which is a very ancient and noble Polish name.

He was, as I said, a very great naturalist, and chief professor of
_Necrobioneopalaeonthydrochthonanthropopithekology_ in the new university
which the king of the Cannibal Islands had founded; and, being a member
of the Acclimatisation Society, he had come here to collect all the
nasty things which he could find on the coast of England, and turn them
loose round the Cannibal Islands, because they had not nasty things
enough there to eat what they left.

But he was a very worthy kind good-natured little old gentleman; and
very fond of children (for he was not the least a cannibal himself); and
very good to all the world as long as it was good to him. Only one
fault he had, which cock-robins have likewise, as you may see if you
look out of the nursery window--that, when any one else found a curious
worm, he would hop round them, and peck them, and set up his tail, and
bristle up his feathers, just as a cock-robin would; and declare that he
found the worm first; and that it was his worm; and, if not, that then
it was not a worm at all.

He had met Sir John at Scarborough, or Fleetwood, or somewhere or other
(if you don't care where, nobody else does), and had made acquaintance
with him, and become very fond of his children. Now, Sir John knew
nothing about sea-cockyolybirds, and cared less, provided the fishmonger
sent him good fish for dinner; and My Lady knew as little: but she
thought it proper that the children should know something. For in the
stupid old times, you must understand, children were taught to know one
thing, and to know it well; but in these enlightened new times they are
taught to know a little about everything, an