"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.
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