"What else can I think?" asked Miranda, bursting into tears,
"when for six whole months he has not been seen by flesh, fish or
fowl."



THE ELEVENTH CHAPTER

BLIND TRAVEL

THIS news about Long Arrow made us all very sad. And I could see
from the silent dreamy way the Doctor took his tea that he was
dreadfully upset. Every once in a while he would stop eating
altogether and sit staring at the spots on the kitchen
table-cloth as though his thoughts were far away; till Dab-Dab,
who was watching to see that he got a good meal, would cough or
rattle the pots in the sink.

I did my best to cheer him up by reminding him of all he had done
for Luke and his wife that afternoon. And when that didn't seem
to work, I went on talking about our preparations for the voyage.

"But you see, Stubbins," said he as we rose from the table and
Dab-Dab and Chee-Chee began to clear away, "I don't know where to
go now. I feel sort of lost since Miranda brought me this news.
On this voyage I had planned going to see Long Arrow. I had been
looking forward to it for a whole year. I felt he might help me
in learning the language of the shellfish--and perhaps in finding
some way of getting to the bottom of the sea. But now?--He's