"So am I, for your sake. I can help you in Latin, if that would be any comfort to you." "It wouldn't be much comfort to me," said Ellen, laughing; "Mamma wanted me to learn Latin, but I wanted to learn French a great deal more; I don't care about Latin except to please her." "Permit me to ask if you know English?" "Oh, yes, Ma’am, I hope so; I knew that a great while ago." "Did you? I am very happy to make your acquaintance then; for the number of young ladies who do know English is, in my opinion, remarkably small. Are you sure of the fact, Ellen?" "Why, yes, Miss Alice." "Will you undertake to write me a note of two pages that shall not have one fault of grammar, nor one word spelt wrong, nor anything in it that is not good English? You may take for a subject the history of this afternoon." "Yes, Ma’am, if you wish it. I hope I can write a note that long without making mistakes." Alice smiled. "I will not stop to inquire," she said, "whether _that long_ is Latin or French; but Ellen, my dear, it is not English." Ellen blushed a little, though she laughed too. "I believe I have got into the way of saying that by hearing Aunt Fortune and Mr. Van Brunt say it; I don't think I ever did before I came here." "What are you so anxious to learn French for?" "Mamma knows it, and I have often heard her talk French with a great many people; and papa and I always wanted to be able to talk it too; and Mamma wanted me to learn it; she said there were a great many French books I ought to read." "That last is true, no doubt. Ellen, I will make a bargain with you, — if you will study English with me, I will study French with you." "Dear Miss Alice," said Ellen, caressing her, "I'll do it without that; I'll study anything you please." "Dear Ellen, I believe you would. But I should like to know it for my own sake; we'll study it together; we shall get along nicely, I have no doubt; we can learn to read it at least, and that is the main point." "But how shall we know what to call the words?" said Ellen, doubtfully. "That is a grave question," said Alice, smiling. "I am afraid we should hit upon a style of pronunciation that a Frenchman would make nothing of. I have it!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands; "where there's a will there's a way — it always happens so. Ellen, I have an old friend upon the mountain who will give us exactly what we want, unless I am greatly mistaken. We'll go and see her; that is the very thing! — my old friend Mrs. Vawse." "Mrs. Vawse!" repeated Ellen; "not the grandmother of that Nancy Vawse?"