But he did not speak all at once.

Peter glanced at him, and then lay back in his chair and waited.
Arnold spoke at last: possibly the harbour works inspired him.

"Look here, boy," he said, "let's get back to your illustration, which is no such a bad one.

What do you suppose your engineer would do when he got down to the new sea-beach and found the conditions you described?
It wouldn't do much good if he sat down and cursed the blessed sea and the sands and the currents, would it?
It would be mighty little use if he blamed his good stone and sound timber, useless though they appeared.
I'm thinking he'd be no much of an engineer either if he chucked his job.

What would he do, d'you think ?" "Go on," said Peter, interested.
"Well," said the speaker in parables, "unless I'm mighty mistaken, he'd get down first to studying the new conditions.