"
Talk worse and worse for an aquarium! But happily they had now reached
the tank of the octopods.
Alas, there had been some mismanagement of the pipes, and the poor
devil-fishes had been boiled, or at least heated to death! One small,
wretched, skinny thing, hardly distinguishable from a discolored clout,
was all that was left of a dozen. Cornelius laughed heartily when
informed of the mischance.
"It's a pity it wasn't the devil himself instead of his fish!" he said.
"Wouldn't it be a jolly lark, Mr. Vavasor, if some of the rascals down
below were to heat that furnace too hot, and rid us of the whole potful
at one fell swoop!"
"What is that you are saying, Corney?" said his mother, who had but just
rejoined them.
"I was only uttering the pious wish that the devil was dead," answered
Cornelius; "--boiled like an octopus! ha! ha! ha!"
"What good would that do?" said his father. "The human devils would be
no better, and the place would soon be re-occupied. The population of
the pit must be kept up by immigration. There may be babies born in
heaven, for any thing I know, but certain I am there can be none in the
other place.
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