"I am glad to see you all," said I; "and particularly you, madam," said I, making a bow to Mrs. Petulengro, "and you also, madam," taking off my hat to Mrs. Chikno. "Good-day to you, sir," said Mrs. Petulengro. "You look as usual, charmingly, and speak so, too; you have not forgot your manners." "It is not all gold that glitters," said Mrs. Chikno. "However, good-morrow to you, young rye." "I am come on an errand," said I. "Isopel Berners, down in the dell there, requests the pleasure of Mr. and Mrs. Petulengro's company at breakfast. She will be happy also to see you, madam," said I, addressing Mrs. Chikno. "Is that young female your wife, young man?" said Mrs. Chikno. "My wife?" said I. "Yes, young man, your wife--your lawful certificated wife?" "No," said I. "She is not my wife." "Then I will not visit with her," said Mrs. Chikno. "I countenance nothing in the roving line." "What do you mean by the roving line?" I demanded. "What do I mean by the roving line? Why, by it I mean such conduct as is not tatcheno. When ryes and rawnies lives together in dingles, without being certificated, I call such behaviour being tolerably deep in the roving line, everything savouring of which I am determined not to sanctify. I have suffered too much by my own certificated husband's outbreaks in that line to afford anything of the kind the slightest shadow of countenance." "It is hard that people may not live in dingles together without being suspected of doing wrong," said I. "So it is," said Mrs. Petulengro, interposing. "I am suspicious of nobody, not even of my own husband, whom some people would think I have a right to be suspicious of, seeing that on his account I once refused a lord. I always allows him an agreeable latitude to go where he pleases. But I have had the advantage of keeping good company, and therefore----" "Meklis," said Mrs. Chikno, "pray drop all that, sister; I believe I have kept as good company as yourself; and with respect to that offer with which you frequently fatigue those who keeps company with you, I believe, after all, it was something in the roving and uncertificated line." _II.--The Parting of the Ways_ Belle was sitting before the fire, at which the kettle was boiling. "Were you waiting for me?" I inquired. "Yes," said Belle. "That was very kind," said I. "Not half so kind," said she, "as it was of you to get everything ready for me in the dead of last night." After tea, we resumed our study of Armenian. "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." "I have given you no cause to hate me," said Belle, looking me sorrowfully in the face. "I was merely giving two examples," said I. "In Armenian, there are four conjugations of verbs; the first ends in al, the second in yel, the third in oul, and the fourth in il. Now, have you understood me?"