.

." "What's that ?" "The language of a people whose country is a region on the other side of Asia Minor." "Well!" "A region abounding with mountains." "Well!" "Amongst which is Mount Ararat." "Well!" "Upon which, as the Bible informs us, the ark rested." "Well!" "It is the language of the people of those regions." "So you told me." "And I have been reading the Bible in their language." "Well!" "Or rather, I should say, in the ancient language of these people; from which I am told the modern Armenian differs considerably." "Well!" "As much as the Italian from the Latin." "Well!" "So I have been reading the Bible in ancient Armenian." "You told me so before." "I found it a highly difficult language." "Yes." "Differing widely from the languages in general with which I am acquainted." "Yes." "Exhibiting, however, some features in common with them." "Yes." "And sometimes agreeing remarkably in words with a certain strange wild speech with which I became acquainted--" "Irish ?" "No, father, not Irish--with which I became acquainted by the greatest chance in the world." "Yes." "But of which I need say nothing further at present, and which I should not have mentioned but for that fact." "Well!" "Which I consider remarkable." "Yes." "The Armenian is copious." "Is it ?" "With an alphabet of thirty-nine letters, but it is harsh and guttural." "Yes." "Like the language of most mountainous people--the Armenians call it Haik." "Do they ?" "And themselves, Haik, also; they are a remarkable people, and, though their original habitation is the Mountain of Ararat, they are to be found, like the Jews, all over the world." "Well!" "Well, father, that's all I can tell you about Haiks, or Armenians." "And what does it all amount to ?" "Very little, father; indeed, there is very little known about the Armenians; their early history, in particular, is involved in considerable mystery." "And, if you knew all that it was possible to know about them, to what would it amount?
to what earthly purpose could you turn it?
have you acquired any knowledge of your profession ?" "Very little, father." "Very little! Have you acquired all in your power ?" "I can't say that I have, father." "And yet it was your duty to have done so.

But I see how it is, you have shamefully misused your opportunities; you are like one, who, sent into the field to labour, passes his time in flinging stones at the birds of heaven." "I would scorn to fling a stone at a bird, father." "You know what I mean, and all too well, and this attempt to evade deserved reproof by feigned simplicity is quite in character with your general behaviour.

I have ever observed about you a want of frankness, which has distressed me; you never speak of what you are about, your hopes, or your projects, but cover yourself with mystery.

I never knew till the present moment that you were acquainted with Armenian." "Because you never asked me, father; there's nothing to conceal in the matter--I will tell you in a moment how I came to learn Armenian.