A Pair of Blue Eyes by Thomas Hardy
page 71 of 571 (12%)
page 71 of 571 (12%)
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pronunciation of a dead language is of much importance; yet your
accents and quantities have a grotesque sound to my ears. I thought first that you had acquired your way of breathing the vowels from some of the northern colleges; but it cannot be so with the quantities. What I was going to ask was, if your instructor in the classics could possibly have been an Oxford or Cambridge man?' 'Yes; he was an Oxford man--Fellow of St. Cyprian's.' 'Really?' 'Oh yes; there's no doubt about it. 'The oddest thing ever I heard of!' said Mr. Swancourt, starting with astonishment. 'That the pupil of such a man----' 'The best and cleverest man in England!' cried Stephen enthusiastically. 'That the pupil of such a man should pronounce Latin in the way you pronounce it beats all I ever heard. How long did he instruct you?' 'Four years.' 'Four years!' 'It is not so strange when I explain,' Stephen hastened to say. 'It was done in this way--by letter. I sent him exercises and |
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