{"character_count": 2811, "word_count": 486, "ccnet_language_score": [0.9754999876022339], "ccnet_perplexity": [1402.300048828125], "fasttext_language": ["en"]}
to another subject. They were speaLia
of arabesques.


Arabesques or moresqucs, said Il ]
lady, 81 admire those ornaments of scuL
ture, painting, and of architecture forma
of foliage of leaves, figures Of animals j
plants, or of imaginary beings. Have vm
remarked, gentlemen, that in the houp
of the Mahometans, the morcsqucs ne,e
contain the figures of animaIs' ;"
But --'


cit is true, gentlemen, for the law i
Mahomet expressly forbids the cmplov] J
men, of images, beasts, or of animated
beings in arabesques.


My surprise was extreme. My friend
stared with wonder, and it was with urea1
difficulty that we could disguise oud
thoughts; but some one asked just at ,IJ
moment her opinion of frescoes.


"Frescoes what are they? Are thew
the ancients :"


was dumb with surprise. How could
this melange of education and ignorancI
be accounted for? Did she do it wiGII
"? Was it from some feminine malice
to serve some private purpose of her own


The conversation took an historcaI
turn.-They spoke of the ancient Greek 1
and Athenians. Some one named Asml
sa.


"Few women," she said "coud boas1
Of exercising such influence over peophl
Courtezan and philosopher, she Dum1
bered among her pupils and lovers, Soc1
rates and Alcibiades. Such was the pov1
er she had over the heart of PericIcs, tIal
he had rcpudiated his wife to espouse ,I4
fair Milancse."


Myself and friend again looked at each
other with astonshment.


eyes," replied |, "she was a woman
with talents of the first order. Then he'd
popularity, her eloquence. All the youth
Of Athens came to the classes of AspasiaI
when she delivered the harangues of Del
moslhenes.


"Demosthenes!" cried the lady, ""h1
was she ,"


Music now broke up the conversation
my friend and | not knowing what ID
think Of the accomplishments and ridcu1
lous mistakes of our fair hostess. What
was the meaning of this familiarity with
certain names, and her entire ignorancd
others. The enigma had something pl1
quante about it, and | reflected upon i
during the remainder Of the evening.


The next day my friend entered my
apartment, and cried, "The problem !
solved; | have just returned from ol1
friends house he had bought CycIo1
pedia, which his wife is committing 10
memory, and it is extremely natural iof
her to commence at the commencement
she has studied A as Arabcsques, and As
pasta, and the others but, of course as
yet she knows nothing Of Demos'hcnes
nor Frescoes, nor Mozart, nor Weber
The wife of our friend is receiving he'
education in alphabetical order"


This was the truth.


Some days after | again visited the 's'
male scholar; the discourse turned upon
politics. She harangued with much en-
erey upon the talents of Danlon, the rev.
oln'lonist. 1t appeared that she had ar
rived at the letter ID.


NoTE, w G think from what we have seen