ing for me?" I inquired. "Yes,"
said Belle, "I thought that you would come, and I waited for you." "That
was very kind," said I. "Not half so kind," said she, "as it was of you
to get everything ready for me in the dead of last night, when there was
scarcely a chance of my coming." The tea-things were brought forward,
and we sat down. "Have you been far?" said Belle. "Merely to that
public-house," said I, "to which you directed me on the second day of our
acquaintance." "Young men should not make a habit of visiting public-
houses," said Belle, "they are bad places." "They may be so to some
people," said I, "but I do not think the worst public-house in England
could do me any harm." "Perhaps you are so bad already," said Belle,
with a smile, "that it would be impossible to spoil you." "How dare you
catch at my words?" said I; "come, I will make you pay for doing so--you
shall have this evening the longest lesson in Armenian which I have yet
inflicted upon you." "You may well say inflicted," said Belle, "but pray
spare me. I do not wish to hear anything about Armenian, especially this
evening." "Why this evening?" said I. Belle made no answer. "I will
not spare you," said I; "this evening I intend to make you conjugate an
Armenian verb." "Well, be it so," said Belle; "for this evening you
shall command." "To command is hramahyel," said I. "Ram her ill,
indeed," said Belle; "I do not wish to begin with that." "No," said I,
"as we have come to the verbs, we will begin regularly; hramahyel is a
verb of the second conjugation. We will begin with the first." "First
of all tell me," said Belle, "what a verb is?" "A part of speech," said
I, "which, according to the dictionary, signifies some action or passion;
for example, I command you, or I hate you." "I have given you no cause
to hate me," said Belle, looking me sorrowfully in the face.

"I was merely giving two examples," said I, "and neither was directed at
you. In those examples, to command and hate are verbs. Belle, in
Armenian there are four conjugations of verbs; the first end in al, the
second in yel, the third in oul, and the fourth in il. Now, have you
understood me?"

"I am afraid, indeed, it will all end ill," said Belle. "Hold your
tongue," said I, "or you will make me lose my patience." "You have
already made me nearly lose mine," said Belle. "Let us have no
unprofitable interruptions," said I. "The conjugations of the Armenian
ver