"But I mean the cracks," said Dorothy, with a faint smile. You see she was beginning to feel a little acquainted with the Admiral by this time, and the conversation didn't seem to be quite so solemn as it had been when he first began talking.
"Then you should say 'seen 'em before behind,'" said the Admiral. "That's where they've always been, you know."
Dorothy didn't know exactly what reply to make to this remark; but she thought she ought to say something by way of helping along the conversation, so she began, "I suppose it's kind of——" and here she stopped to think of the word she wanted.
"Kind of what?" said the Admiral severely.
"Kind of—cripplesome, isn't it?" said Dorothy rather confusedly.
"Cripplesome?" exclaimed the Admiral. "Why, that's no word for it. It's positively decrepitoodle——" here he paused for a moment and got extremely red in the face, and then finished up with "——loodelarious," and stared hard at her again, as if inquiring what she thought of that.
"THE ADMIRAL SAT UP AND GAZED ABOUT WITH A COMPLACENT SMILE."
"Goodness!" said Dorothy, drawing a long breath, "what a word!"