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 ends 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 verbs 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.”