The Lost Heir

le, and it was only by looking back that it was perceptible. At the end of that time he could walk unaided, there was less hesitation in his speech, and his m

if she would remain with her as her companion. The girl, however, was reluctant to give up her occupation, of which she was very fond, still less would she leave her aunt; and although the

t to you. I am happy in thinking that I am doing good and useful work, and I don't think

lked to, but it was like the work of entertaining a child. Netta, however, had an inexhaustible fund of good spirits. After her long intercourse with children who needed entertainment with instruction, and whose attention it was a

ndfather. Whenever the conversation flagged Netta offered to tell him a story, which not only kept him quiet, but was listened to with as much interest by the General as by the child. D

at a window with her back to him when he asked her a question. Receiving no reply, he repeated it in a louder tone

eaking to me

wice, Miss Purcell, bu

nd whatever. I never talk about it; people ask questions and wonder, and then

ible that y

s in London, happened to hear that a Professor Menzel had opened an establishment in Hanover for teaching deaf mutes to speak by a new system of watching people's lips. She took me over there,

results were so excellent. It never entered my mind for a moment that you were in any way deficient in hearing, still less that you w

s always upon you I should not have known when you were speaking; but when, as here, there are always several

be quite close to

rds. It is a great amusement to me as I walk about, for I can see what is being said by people on the other side of th

e a dangerous per

ou are within reach of my eyes. Yesterday, for instance, you said to Hilda that my aunt seemed a wonderful

eds fl

no harm was done. I think I said that you were invaluable here, which is certainly the case, for

"and she said, too, that it was not fair your

ington is deaf also? But no, that is impossible; for I called to her yesterday, wh

that it might be permanent. Her father and mother, hearing of Dr. Hartwig as having the reputation of being the first aurist in Europe, took her out to him. He held out hopes that she could be cured, and recommended that she should be placed in Professor Menzel's institution as soon as she could understand German,

ol in the town, but of course she always talked with me as I talked with her, and so she kept up the accomplishment and has done so ever since. But her mother advised her very strongly to keep the knowledge of her

r and were laughing and talking. You did not notice me, and it struck me as strange that, while I heard the laughing, I did not

give up talking silently or let you into our secret; so I don't th

thought it was so had I not heard the laughing as distinctly as usual. I came to the conclusion that you must, for some reason or other, have

the only secret that w

d pities that a system that acts so admirably should not be introduced into

t, but I feel that I am too young yet to take the head of an establishment

inmates as you may choose to take. In cases where their own skill fails altogether, they would be delighted to

to be looking, and then I have to explain my apparent rudeness by owning myself to be entirely deaf. Unfortunately, I have not always been able

one altogether deaf could have been taught to join in conversation as you do. Well, I must be very careful wha

ure that there is no one here to whom you

e know that she could read conversations at a distance. People would certainly be afraid of her, for gossipmongers would b

ecame restless, and was constantly expre

Leeds?" Dr. Pearson said, when

gain. As he improves in health he naturally feels more and more the loss of his usual course of life. I should certainly have advised his remaining here until he had made a good deal further advancement, but as he has set his mind upon it, I believe that m

he did a short time since, and sometimes, instead of joining in the conversation, he

id, doctor. I took a mile walk yesterday. I am beginning to feel quite myself again; it will do me a world

not be thwarted. You have looked at th

ry red, but he tells me-and what is more to the poi

ain? Watching the case from day to day as you have do

e have failed altogether to determine the cause of his attack, or the nature of it. We have been feeling in the dark, and hitherto have failed to discover a clew that we could follow up. So far there has been no recurrence of his first seizure, but, with returning strength and returning brain work, it is in my

ired. I believe with you that he will be a confirmed invalid, requiring nursing and humoring like a child,

it will be gradual and painless, and that there

wing that I had been present, called upon me within the next two or three days for advice, and were so evidently completely unstrung that I ordered them an entire change of scene at once, and recommended them to go to Homburg, take the waters, and play at the tables; to do anything, in fact, that

s larger than usual, the man drops dead in his tracks while drinking it. Sometimes he dies in convulsions; at other times he recovers partially and lingers on, a mere wreck, for some months. In other cases, where, I suppose, the dose was a light one, and the man's relatives were ready to pay the fetich man handsomely, the recovery was speedy and complete; that is to say, if, as is usually the case, the man was not put to death at once upon the supposed proof of his guilt. By what possible means such poison could have found its way to England, for there is no instance of its nature being divulged to Europeans, I know not, nor how it could have been administered; but I own that it is still the only theory by which I can account for the General's state. I need not say that

e, when would they have been brought here, and by whom? And lastly, by whom administered, and from what motive? I admit all that you say about the African poisons. I lately had a long talk about them with a medical ma

e a relief to me indeed could I find some other explanation of t

ossibly his desire to get up to town may die out. If so, he is without doubt better here. If, however, you see that his irr

be that the change will be beneficial to you; if the ladies can be ready to-morrow, let us start without further delay,' I consider it quite possible that this ready and cheerful acquiescence may result in his no longer desiring it. One know

doctor was willing that he should go up to town, and the ladies quite

ened this view, and the return was postponed. At the end of the month he had made so much progress that, when the l