He then went on to explain that Hindostanee was the language he was himself at present studying; that, as he advanced, he was apt to forget the commencement; that it would assist him greatly to have a pupil with whom he might again and again go over the elements, and so fix them thoroughly in his mind; that his choice had hovered for some time between me and his sisters; but that he had fixed on me because he saw I could sit at a task the longest of the three.
Aztán elkezdte magyarázni, hogy most ő is a hindusztáni nyelvet tanulja, de amint továbbhalad, az elejét mindig elfelejti, s nagy segítségére lenne egy tanítvány, akivel újra meg újra átvehetné a nyelv alapelemeit, így ezek az ő agyában is megrögződnének. Hogy sokáig gondolkodott rajta, ki legyen ez a tanítvány: egyik húga-e, vagy én.