bs are neither so numerous nor so difficult as the declensions of the
nouns; hear that, and rejoice. Come, we will begin with the verb hntal,
a verb of the first conjugation, which signifies to rejoice. Come along;
hntam, I rejoice; hntas, thou rejoicest: why don't you follow, Belle?"

"I am sure I don't rejoice, whatever you may do," said Belle. "The chief
difficulty, Belle," said I, "that I find in teaching you the Armenian
grammar, proceeds from your applying to yourself and me every example I
give. Rejoice, in this instance, is merely an example of an Armenian
verb of the first conjugation, and has no more to do with your rejoicing
than lal, which is also a verb of the first conjugation, and which
signifies to weep, would have to do with your weeping, provided I made
you conjugate it. Come along; hntam, I rejoice; hntas, thou rejoicest;
hnta, he rejoices; hntamk, we rejoice: now, repeat those words."

"I can't," said Belle, "they sound more like the language of horses than
of human beings. Do you take me for . . .?" "For what?" said I. Belle
was silent. "Were you going to say mare?" said I. "Mare! mare! by-the-
bye, do you know, Belle, that mare in old English stands for woman; and
that when we call a female an evil mare, the strict meaning of the term
is merely bad woman. So if I were to call you mare, without prefixing
bad, you must not be offended." "But I should, though," said Belle. "I
was merely attempting to make you acquainted with a philological fact,"
said I. "If mare, which in old English, and likewise in vulgar English,
signifies a woman, sounds the same as mare, which in modern and polite
English signifies a female horse, I can't help it. There is no such
confusion of sounds in Armenian, not, at least, in the same instance.
Belle, in Armenian, woman is ghin, the same word, by-the-bye, a sour
queen, whereas mare is madagh tzi, which signifies a female horse; and
perhaps you will permit me to add, that a hard-mouthed jade is, in
Armenian, madagh tzi hsdierah."

"I can't bear this much longer," said Belle. "Keep yourself quiet," said
I; "I wish to be gentle with you; and to convince you, we will skip
hntal, and also 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 is siriel. Here is the present tense:--siriem,
siries,