Page 76 - erewhon

European things, which I had so frequently observed hith-
erto, did not hold good in the matter of language; for I could
detect no analogy whatever between this and any tongue of
which I have the slightest knowledge,—a thing which made
me think it possible that I might be learning Hebrew.
I must detail no longer; from this time my days were
spent with a monotony which would have been tedious but
for the society of Yram, the jailor’s daughter, who had taken
a great fancy for me and treated me with the utmost kind-
ness. The man came every day to teach me the language,
but my real dictionary and grammar were Yram; and I
consulted them to such purpose that I made the most ex-
traordinary progress, being able at the end of a month to
understand a great deal of the conversation which I over-
heard between Yram and her father. My teacher professed
himself well satisfied, and said he should make a favourable
report of me to the authorities. I then questioned him as to
what would probably be done with me. He told me that my
arrival had caused great excitement throughout the coun-
try, and that I was to be detained a close prisoner until the
receipt of advices from the Government. My having had a
watch, he said, was the only damaging feature in the case.
And then, in answer to my asking why this should be so, he
gave me a long story of which with my imperfect knowledge
of the language I could make nothing whatever, except that
it was a very heinous offence, almost as bad (at least, so I
thought I understood him) as having typhus fever. But he
said he thought my light hair would save me.
I was allowed to walk in the garden; there was a high