When then I received this secret sign from Cruikshank, I did the best thing I could for the sex—I answered at a hazard.
“He called it an elephant,” said I, “because the impression he received of its size may have suggested that word to his mind. He may for example have been trodden upon by one of those huge brutes—in which case,” said I, “the impression would have been a vivid one.”
“If one of them trod on me, it wouldn’t suggest the word elephant,” said Bellwattle. “I should think of squash.”
“Probably you would,” said Cruikshank; “but then you’re not Adam.” By which I think he meant to convey the mental superiority of his sex.
Therefore—“She might be Eve,” said I.
Bellwattle closed one eye and looked at me.
I met her gaze steadily and then, as suddenly, she put another question to us.
“Did Adam name everything?”
“Every single thing,” said Cruikshank.