Harold’s roommate looked disgusted. “Whatever’s the matter with you? These verb forms are terrible. They get me more confused all the time. I’d like to know what the past perfect tense has got to do with evangelizing Indian tribes? As for the subjunctive mood; I don’t even like to describe it.” Harold’s enthusiasm wasn’t dampened. “Let me try the perfect tense. This implies continuing action. Amava, amavas, amava. I was loving, you were loving, he, she, or it was loving. We were loving.” His companion groaned and reached for a magazine to fan himself. “Listen, fella. When a person can conjugate Portuguese verbs with a heavenly light on his brow, something’s wrong somewhere. Whatever’s got into you, anyway?” Yes, Harold had found in Deborah the sweet, intelligent spiritually-minded girl of his dreams. Brazil is a land with a distinct class system. There are Indians, primitive river dwellers, and the social mixtures resulting from slaves, Indians, and Portuguese traders. But there is also the fine upperclass Latin American, mostly of European descent. They may be fair-skinned, blue-eyed, and fine featured. They have high culture and education. The social rules are rigid, and there is more dignity and grace than observed in easy-going American ways. They may smile at the American’s shocking informality, and moviegoers may copy it; but the cultured classes still retain
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