And another , `` What was the name of Mutius Scaevola 's thirteenth cousin 's grandmother 's maid 's cat ? '' And another , `` How long would it take a school-inspector of average activity to tumble head over heels from London to York ? '' And another , `` Can you tell me the name of a place that nobody ever heard of , where nothing ever happened , in a country which has not been discovered yet ? '' And another , `` Can you show me how to correct this hopelessly corrupt passage of Graidiocolosyrtus Tabenniticus , on the cause why crocodiles have no tongues ? '' And so on , and so on , and so on , till one would have thought they were all trying for tide-waiters ' places , or cornetcies in the heavy dragoons . `` And what good on earth will it do you if I did tell you ? '' quoth Tom . Well , they did n't know that : all they knew was the examiner was coming . Then Tom stumbled on the hugest and softest nimblecomequick turnip you ever saw filling a hole in a crop of swedes , and it cried to him , `` Can you tell me anything at all about anything you like ? '' `` About what ? '' says Tom . `` About anything you like ; for as fast as I learn things I forget them again . So my mamma says that my intellect is not adapted for methodic science , and says that I must go in for general information . '' Tom told him that he did not know general information , nor any officers in the army ; only he had a friend once that went for a drummer : but he could tell him a great many strange things which he had seen in his travels . So he told him prettily enough , while the poor turnip listened very carefully ; and the more he listened , the more he forgot , and the more water ran out of him . Tom thought he was crying : but it was only his poor brains running away , from being worked so hard ; and as Tom talked , the unhappy turnip streamed down all over with juice , and split and shrank till nothing was left of him but rind and water ; whereat Tom ran away in a fright , for he thought he might be taken up for killing the turnip . But , on the contrary , the turnip 's parents were highly delighted , and considered him a saint and a martyr , and put up a long inscription over his tomb about his wonderful talents , early development , and unparalleled precocity . Were they not a foolish couple ? But there was a still more foolish couple next to them , who were beating a wretched little radish , no bigger than my thumb , for sullenness and obstinacy and wilful stupidity , and never knew that the reason why it could n't learn or hardly even speak was , that there was a great worm inside it eating out all its brains . But even they are no foolisher than some hundred score of papas and mammas , who fetch the rod when they ought to fetch a new toy , and send to the dark cupboard instead of to the doctor .
Tom was so puzzled and frightened with all he saw , XXXXX he was longing to ask the meaning of it ; and at last he stumbled over a respectable old stick lying half covered with earth .
So as at in like than that till to while