He professed himself surprised to learn that although
Mr. Vinrace possessed ten ships, regularly plying between London and
Buenos Aires, not one of them was bidden to investigate the great white
monsters of the lower waters.
"No, no," laughed Willoughby, "the monsters of the earth are too many
for me!"
Rachel was heard to sigh, "Poor little goats!"
"If it weren't for the goats there'd be no music, my dear; music depends
upon goats," said her father rather sharply, and Mr. Pepper went on to
describe the white, hairless, blind monsters lying curled on the ridges
of sand at the bottom of the sea, which would explode if you brought
them to the surface, their sides bursting asunder and scattering
entrails to the winds when released from pressure, with considerable
detail and with such show of knowledge, that Ridley was disgusted, and
begged him to stop.
From all this Helen drew her own conclusions, which were gloomy enough.
Pepper was a bore; Rachel was an unlicked girl, no doubt prolific of
confidences, the very first of which would be: "You see, I don't get on
with my father." Willoughby, as usual, loved his business and built his
Empire, and between them all she would be considerably bored. Being a
woman of action, however, she rose, and said that for her part she was
going to bed. At the door she glanced back instinctively at Rachel,
expecting that as two of the same sex they would leave the room
together.
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