'you may easily believe , ' said she , 'how great was the difficulty to persuade my mother that all necessary knowledge was not comprised in the noble art of bookkeeping ; and , indeed , i believe i left her incredulous to the last , for her constant answer to my unwearied entreaties was the same as that of the dutch schoolmaster in the vicar of wakefield : 'i have ten thousand florins a year without greek , i eat heartily without greek . '