CHAPTER VII.

randinthesecondplacetheymighthavestudiedprivatelyandtaughtthemselvestounderstandwhattheyread,andthenitwouldhavebeeninteresting.Ihopeyoudon’texpectmetobenaughtyandstupid?” “Iexpectyoutobeallthatanexquisiteyoungladycanbeineverypossiblerelationoflife.CertainlyitmightbeagreatadvantageifyouwereabletocopytheGreekcharacter,andtothatenditwerewelltobeginwithalittlereading.” Dorotheaseizedthisasapreciouspermission.ShewouldnothaveaskedMr.Casaubonatoncetoteachherthelanguages,dreadingofallthingstobetiresomeinsteadofhelpfulbutitwasnotentirelyoutofdevotiontoherfuturehusbandthatshewishedtoknowLatinandGreek.Thoseprovincesofmasculineknowledgeseemedtoherastanding-groundfromwhichalltruthcouldbeseenmoretruly.Asitwas,sheconstantlydoubtedherownconclusions,becauseshefeltherownignorance:howcouldshebeconfidentthatone-roomedcottageswerenotforthegloryofGod,whenmenwhoknewtheclassicsappearedtoconciliateindifferencetothecottageswithzealfortheglory?PerhapsevenHebrewmightbenecessary—atleastthealphabetandafewroots—inordertoarriveatthecoreofthings,andjudgesoundlyonthesocialdutiesoftheChristian.Andshehadnotreachedthatpointofrenunciationatwhichshewouldhavebeensatisfiedwithhavingawisehusband:shewished,poorchild,tobewiseherself.MissBrookewascertainlyverynaivewithallherallegedcleverness.Celia,whosemindhadneverbeenthoughttoopowerful,sawtheemptinessofotherpeople’spretensionsmuchmorereadily.Tohaveingeneralbutlittlefeeling,seemstobetheonlysecurityagainstfeelingtoomuchonanyparticularoccasion. However,Mr.Casaubonconsentedtolistenandteachforanhourtogether,likeaschoolmasteroflittleboys,orratherlikealover,towhomamistress’selementaryignoranceanddifficultieshaveatouchingfitness.Fewscholarswouldhavedislikedteachingthealphabetundersuchcircumstances.ButDorotheaherselfwasalittleshockedanddiscouragedatherownstupidity,andtheanswersshegottosometimidquestionsaboutthevalueoftheGreekaccentsgaveherapainfulsuspicionthathe