Volume I Part 42 (1/2)
”No, Sir. Hugh and I have our lessons at home.”
”Teaching each other, I suppose?”
”O no, Sir,” said Fleda, laughing; ”Mme. Lascelles and Mr.
Schweppenhesser, and Signor Barytone come to teach us, besides our music masters.”
”Do you ever talk German with this Mr. What's-his-name, who has just gone out with your cousin Marion!”
”I never talk to him at all, Sir.”
”Don't you? Why not? Don't you like him?”
Fleda said, ”Not particularly,” and seemed to wish to let the subject pa.s.s, but the doctor was amused, and pressed it.
”Why, why don't you like him?” said he; ”I am sure he's a fine-looking das.h.i.+ng gentleman; ? dresses as well as anybody, and talks as much as most people ? why don't you like him?
Isn't he a handsome fellow ? eh?”
”I dare say he is, to many people,” said Fleda.
”She said she didn't think there was any moral expression in his face,” said Hugh, by way of settling the matter.
”Moral expression!” cried the doctor, ”moral expression! and what if there isn't, you Elf! ? what if there isn't?”
”I shouldn't care what other kind of expression it had,” said Fleda, colouring a little.
Mr. Rossitur ”pished” rather impatiently. The doctor glanced at his niece, and changed the subject.
”Well, who teaches you English, Miss Fleda? you haven't told me that yet.”
”Oh, that we teach ourselves,” said Fleda, smiling, as if it was a very innocent question.
”Hum! ? you do! Pray how do you teach yourselves?”
”By reading, Sir.”
”Reading! And what do you read? what have you read in the last twelve months, now?”
”I don't think I could remember all exactly,” said Fleda.
”But you have got a list of them all,” said Hugh, who chanced to have been looking over said list a day or two before, and felt quite proud of it.
”Let's have it, let's have it,” said the doctor. And Mrs.
Rossitur, laughing, said, ”Let's have it;” and even her husband commanded Hugh to go and fetch it; so poor Fleda, though not a little unwilling, was obliged to let the list be forthcoming. Hugh brought it, in a neat little book covered with pink blotting paper.
”Now for it!” said the doctor; ”let us see what this English amounts to. Can you stand fire, Elfleda?”
” 'Jan. 1. Robinson Crusoe.' * [* A true list made by a child of that age.]
”Hum ? that sounds reasonable, at all events.”