“Why,” he said, “although Briton—­that’s his name—­is big enough to tackle a bear, he wouldn’t injure a mouse.”

It was nearly nine o’clock when the professor arrived.  Briton marched in first, and a bigger and more noble-looking fellow was never seen.  Veevee said he couldn’t stand another dog in the place.  So he started up, barking loudly, and offering to fight the mastiff to the death on the spot.  But Briton stepped gingerly over the little dog, and went and lay quietly down on the rug.

Then in bustled the professor himself, very droll, very small, clean-shaven, merry-eyed, and with as much hair on his great head as would have stuffed a cushion.  He bowed and smiled to all, patted the children, and at last sat down to supper.

All made a very hearty supper, though it was long past the children’s bed-time.  Only Uncle didn’t come home every night, you know.

When they had finished, Briton had a huge dish of scraps; Veevee sat watching him eat, and the children were very much surprised to see Briton shove one of the biggest and best morsels towards him.  The tiny dog picked up the titbit and wagged his tail.  After he had eaten it, he went and lay down beside Briton on the hearth-rug.

The “something nice” that Uncle had to tell was soon told now.  Captain Staysail cleared his throat before he began:  “Ahem!  Oh, you’re all waiting, are you, to hear what I’ve got to say?  Well, then—­ahem!—­Professor Peterkin—­”

“Pete—­Pete—­Pete—­Pete!” cried the droll, wee man, stopping him, and one would have thought he was calling a dog.  “I’m not going to be called Professor, and I won’t Peterkin.  Just Pete, as I was on board ship, as I am to everybody, and must be to you.

“But just look here, Staysail, you’re a sailor, and you can’t make a speech.  Let me speak.”  And speak he did without waiting for a reply.

“It’s all in a nutshell, dear Mr. and Mrs. Dunlop, and I’ll tell you in two or three sentences what your worthy sailor-brother would have kept you up all night to hear.  Now listen!  Briton, you lie down!  Good again!  Now I, Dan Peterkin, am a man who has been used to study hard, and think hard.  You follow me so far?  Good again!

“Well, there is one thing has taken me years to work out, and that is, where in this world gold and coal are to be found.  And I’ve done it.  I can go right to the spots.  One of them lies on an island right away up in the Frozen North.  And we’re going there.  Your brother, Mrs. Dunlop, is going to take me.

“Well, we may have some hardships.  Paff!  What do we care?  We shall win such wealth as has never been seen before.  You follow still?  Good again!  Well, I go to a town in the north last spring, when the seal ships are all there, and I look for an honest face.  I find Staysail.  I say to him:  ‘You give me a passage to Greenland, my friend.’  He say:  ’What for I give you passage?’ I smile.  I take him by one button, and pull him all the way into a private room of the hotel.  Briton follows.  We all dine well—­we all come out smiling—­Briton too.  And now, my friends, all is arranged.  We sail away and away and away next spring for the seas of ice and the islands of gold.