As a matter of fact, that very evening he brought back with him a nervous, talkative little man.
"Ze Poortooguez in fifteen days," exclaimed the little man, gesticulating freely with his small plump hands "A language so rich, so flexible, in fifteen days! Ah, you have ze luck, young man, to 'ave found in zis town Juan Garretos, of
Portalègre, Master of Arts of ze University of Coimbra, and positivist philosopher. Ze Poortooguez in fifteen days! Do you know at least ze Low Latin? ze Greek? ze Hebrew? ze Arabic? ze Chinese? If not, it is useless to go furzer."
Aurelle confessed his ignorance.
"Never mind," said Juan Garretos indulgently; "ze shape of your 'ead inspire me wiz confidence: for ten francs ze hour I accept you. Only, mind, no chattering; ze Latins always talk too much. Not a single word of ze English between us now. Faz favor d'fallar Portuguez—do me ze favour of speaking ze Poortooguez. Know first zat, in ze Poortooguez, one speak in ze zird person. You must call your speaker Excellency.'"
"What's that?" Aurelle interrupted. "I thought you had just had a democratic revolution."
"Precisely," said the positivist philosopher,
wringing his little hands, "precisely. In France you made ze revoluçaoung in order zat every man should be called 'citizen.' What a waste of energy! In Poortugal we made ze revoluçaoung in order zat every man should be called 'His Highness.' Instead of levelling down we levelled up. It is better. Under ze old order ze children of ze poor were rapachos, and zose of ze aristocracy were meninos: now zey are all meninos. Zat is a revoluçaoung! Faz favor d'fallar Portuguez. Ze Latins always talk too much."
Having thus earned his ten francs by an hour's unceasing eloquence, he made a fairer proposal to Aurelle next day.
"I will arrange with you for a fixed sum," he said. "If I teach you two souzand words, you give me fifty francs."