o for the present verbs of the first conjugation and
proceed to the second. Belle, I will now select for you to conjugate the
prettiest verb in Armenian; not only of the second, but also of all the
four conjugations; that verb is siriel. Here is the present
tense:--siriem, siries, sire, siriemk, sirek, sirien. You observe that
it runs on just in the same manner as hntal, save and except that the e
is substituted for a; and it will be as well to tell you that almost the
only difference between the second, third, and fourth conjugation, and
the first, is the substituting in the present, preterite and other tenses
e or ou, or i for a; so you see that the Armenian verbs are by no means
difficult. Come on, Belle, and say siriem." Belle hesitated. "Pray
oblige me, Belle, by saying siriem!" Belle still appeared to hesitate.
"You must admit, Belle, that it is much softer than hntam." "It is so,"
said Belle; "and to oblige you I will say siriem." "Very well indeed,
Belle," said I. "No vartabied, or doctor, could have pronounced it
better; and now, to show you how verbs act upon pronouns in Armenian, I
will say siriem zkiez. Please to repeat siriem zkiez!" "Siriem zkiez!"
said Belle; "that last word is very hard to say." "Sorry that you think
so, Belle," said I. "Now please to say siria zis." Belle did so.
"Exceedingly well," said I. "Now say, yerani the sireir zis." "Yerani
the sireir zis," said Belle. "Capital!" said I; "you have now said, I
love you--love me--ah! would that you would love me!"

"And I have said all these things?" said Belle. "Yes," said I; "you have
said them in Armenian." "I would have said them in no language that I
understood," said Belle; "and it was very wrong of you to take advantage
of my ignorance, and make me say such things." "Why so?" said I; "if you
said them, I said them too." "You did so," said Belle; "but I believe
you were merely bantering and jeering." "As I told you before, Belle,"
said I, "the chief difficulty which I find in teaching you Armenian
proceeds from your persisting in applying to yourself and me every
example I give." "Then you meant nothing after all," said Belle, raising
her voice. "Let us proceed," said I; "sirietsi, I loved." "You never
loved any one but yourself," said Belle; "and what's more--" "Sirietsits,
I will love," said I; "sirietsies, thou wilt love." "Never one so
thoroughly heartless," said Belle. "I tell you what, Belle, you are
becoming