As soon as the door had closed Perrine translated the cable. It read: "Friend Leserre, a French merchant. Last news from Dehra five years. Wrote Father Makerness according to your wish." "Five years," cried M. Vulfran. Then, as he was not the sort of man to waste time in regrets, he said to Perrine: "Write two cables, one to M. Leserre in French and one to Father Makerness in English." She quickly wrote the cable that she had to translate into English, but she asked if she could get a dictionary from Bendit's office before she did the one in French. "Are you not sure of your spelling?" asked M. Vulfran. "No, I am not at all sure," she replied, "and I should not like them at the office to make fun of any message that is sent by you." "Then you would not be able to write a letter without making mistakes?" "No, I know I should make a lot of mistakes. I can spell French words all right at the commencement, but the endings I find very difficult. I find it much easier to write in English, and I think I ought to tell you so now." "Have you never been to school?" "No, never. I only know what my father and mother taught me. When we stopped on the roads they used to make me study, but I never studied very much." "You are a good girl to tell me so frankly. We must see to that, but for the moment let us attend to what we have on hand." It was not until the afternoon, when they were driving out, that he again referred to her spelling. "Have you written to your relations yet?" he asked. "No, sir." "Why not?" "Because I would like nothing better than to stay here with you, who are so kind to me," she said. "Then you don't want to leave me?" asked the blind man. "No, I want to help you all I can," said Perrine softly. "Very well, then you must study so as to be able to act as a little secretary for me. Would you like to be educated?" "Indeed I would! And I will work so hard," said Perrine. "Well, the matter can be arranged without depriving myself of your services," said M. Vulfran; "there is a very good teacher here and I will ask her to give you lessons from six to eight in the evenings. She is a very nice woman; there are only two things against her; they are her height and her name; she is taller than I am, and her shoulders are much broader than mine. Her name is Mademoiselle Belhomme. She is indeed a _bel homme_, for although she is only forty her shoulders and figure are more massive than any man's I know ... I must add that she has not a beard." Perrine smiled at this description of the teacher that she was to have.