Then I had another visitor, who was not so prepossessing, and who seemed
to have a great idea of himself and a small one of me. He brought a book
with him, and pens and paper--all very English; and yet, neither paper,
nor printing, nor binding, nor pen, nor ink, were quite the same as ours.
He gave me to understand that he was to teach me the language and that we
were to begin at once. This delighted me, both because I should be more
comfortable when I could understand and make myself understood, and
because I supposed that the authorities would hardly teach me the
language if they intended any cruel usage towards me afterwards. We
began at once, and I learnt the names of everything in the room, and also
the numerals and personal pronouns. I found to my sorrow that the
resemblance to European things, which I had so frequently observed
hitherto, did not hold good in the matter of language; for I could detect
no analogy whatever between this and any tongue of which I have the
slightest knowledge,--a thing which made me think it possible that I
might be learning Hebrew.
I must detail no longer; from this time my days were spent with a
monotony which would have been tedious but for the society of Yram, the
jailor's daughter, who had taken a great fancy for me and treated me with
the utmost kindness.
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