"May I try you on a page?"

   "Try away, try away; that's what I've come for."

   "Please read here then, Mr. Rapid;" and in order to give him a fair chance, I pointed to the first lines of the first chapter, viz.: "In principio Deus creavit cœlum et terram intra sex dies; primo die fecit lucem," etc.

   "That, sir?" and then he read thus, "In prinspo duse creevit kalelum et terrum intra sex dyes—primmo dye fe-fe-sit looseum," etc.

   "That will do, Mr. Rapid—"

   "Ah! ha! I told you so."

   "Yes, yes—but translate."

   "Translate!" (eyebrows elevating.)

   "Yes, translate, render it."

   "Render it!! how's that?" (forehead more wrinkled.)

   "Why, yes, render it into English—give me the meaning of it."

   "

    Meaning

   !!" (staring full in my face, his eyes like saucers, and forehead wrinkled with the furrows of eighty)—"

    Meaning

   !! I didn't know it

    had

   any meaning. I thought it was a

    Dead

   language!!"

 Prev. P 27/98 next