"But which no gentleman has?" suggested the worthy trustee.
"I don't say that; for the word means in Spanish a small hand."
There was a general laugh around the table, and all the party held out their paws like dancing bears.
"Then Spaniards must be good spellers," said Dr. Hawkes. "There is very great difference between the capital of the Philippine Islands and Miss Blanche's pretty little hands."
"Ll, which we call double l, is treated as one letter in Spanish, and it has its own peculiar sound, nearly equivalent to ly in English; and therefore Miss Blanche's small hand would be called mah-nil-ya, which is not the capital spoken off. The name of all the islands is spelled in English with double p,—Philippine; but that is not Spanish, though the geographers have generally adopted that orthography. The Spanish name is Las Islas Filipinas."
"Thank you, Professor; and I think I understand it now," added Uncle Moses.
"Quiera V. enseñarme sus manillas, Signorina Blanche?" said Louis with a laugh. Of course she did not understand him; and he added, "Will you show me your small hands, Miss Blanche?" But she did not do so.
"I should very much like to have all geographical names reduced to a common standard, for I do not believe in translating proper names," said the commander. "I have been sometimes greatly bothered by the difference in names. When I came to Aachen in Belgium, I did not know where I was till I looked in my guide-book, and found it was Aix-la-Chapelle. Vienna has about three or four different names, and people there would not know what you meant if you called it as we do, or Vienne as the French write and spell it."
"I think you are quite right, Mr. Commander," added the professor.
"But I have a few words to say about our voyage; for I find it necessary to repress the ambition of some of my passengers," continued the captain. "Some of them wish to visit all the Philippine Islands, and there are about two thousand of them."