The Project Gutenberg eBook, Lavengro, by George Borrow, Edited by F.
Hindes Groome

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Title: Lavengro
The Scholar - The Gypsy - The Priest, Vol. 2 (of 2)

Author: George Borrow

Editor: F. Hindes Groome

Release Date: October 3, 2007 [eBook #22878]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LAVENGRO***

Transcribed from the 1901 Methuen & Co edition by David Price, email
ccx074@pglaf.org

LAVENGRO
The Scholar--The Gypsy--The Priest

_By_
GEORGE BORROW
_WITH NOTES AND AN INTRODUCTION_
BY F. HINDES GROOME

VOLUME II

_WITH A FRONTISPIECE_

LONDON
METHUEN & CO
36 ESSEX STREET, W.C.
MDCCCCI

{Picture of Norwich Cathedral: p0.jpg}

CHAPTER XLIX

Singular Personage--A Large Sum--Papa of Rome--We are
Christians--Degenerate Armenians--Roots of Ararat--Regular Features.

The Armenian! I frequently saw this individual, availing myself of the
permission which he had given me to call upon him. A truly singular
personage was he, with his love of amassing money, and his nationality so
strong as to be akin to poetry. Many an Armenian I have subsequently
known fond of money-getting, and not destitute of national spirit; but
never another who, in the midst of his schemes of lucre, was at all times
willing to enter into a conversation on the structure of the Haik
language, or who ever offered me money to render into English the fables
of Z--- in the hope of astonishing the stock-jobbers of the Exchange with
the wisdom of the Haik Esop.

But he was fond of money, very fond. Within a little time I had won his
confidence to such a degree that he informed me that the grand wish of
his heart was to be possessed of two hundred thousand pounds.

"I think you might satisfy yourself with the half," said I. "One hundred
thousand pounds is a large sum."

"You are mistaken," said the Armenian, "a hundred thousand pounds is
nothing. My father left me that or more at his death. No, I shall never
be satisfied with less than two."

"And what will you do with your riches," said I, "when you have obtained
them? Will you sit down and muse upon them, or will you de