Year: 1868




viii tell yen story of how / once saved my
life entirely through having learned the deaf and
dumb alphabet.


There were two little boys who used to come
| to stay with Frank and me, when we were first
married. and they could neither hear nor speak.
They were deaf and dumb; they could not talk,
| except with their fingers ever so much
quicker.


Frank and | learned this foreign alphabet on
purpose that We might understand what they
said. They were quick and clever; they could
read and write, and draw and sew, and do many
other things which most boys would make very
Dad hand at


They could play at draughts, and back-gam-
mon, and chess, and at fox and geese as well as
any boys. They could almost see what We said,
although they could not hear, with such quick,
eager eyes did they watch every movement of
our lips. We soon, however, got to aaik ~ easily
with our fingers as with our tongues; and some
times, when the lads were not with us, Frank
| and ] used to converse in that manner when We
were alone, for practice


1t happened upon one occasion that he had to
go to London on important business; he was to
have gone by an afternoon train, but something
delayed him. so that he was not able to leave be-
fore the night express.



my bedroom about two hours before his depart
ure; he promised however, to come up and wish
me good bye before he started, which would be
between twelve and one o. clock in the morning.
| The matter which had called him away was con-
nected with the bank here, which had just been
burned down; and my husband it seems, al
though / did not know it at the time-so great
secret had he endeavored to keep it-had many
thousand pounds belonging to the concern in his
temporary possession, locked upin the iron safe
in our bedroom, where the plate was kept. lie
was bank manager, and responsible for the whole
| of it. 1t was a cold time, and there fire in
the room, so bright and comfortable that was
in no hurry to leave it to get into bed but sat up
; looking into the fiery Goals, and thinking about
all sorts of things; upon the long journey Frank
| had to take that light and how dreary the days
would seem until he returned, and in particular,
| how lonely should feel in that great room all by
myself when he should be away-for | was a
dreadful coward. 1t was a little after eleven
O'Clock when | got into bed, but did not feel
the least inclined to sleep even tlea. knew
! that Frank would be coming to wish me good
| bye presently; and, besides, there seemed to be
all sorts of noises about the room, which my
foolish ears always used to hear whenever alone
at nighttime


fla little SCOT fell down the chimney, it was
I [ thought great black crow at least, which
would soon be flying about the room, and sitting
Oh my pillow; if amouse squeaked in the wainscot
| it was the creaking of some dreadful person
shoes coming up stairs to kill me with a carving
! knife and if the wind blew the easement, it was
two stories high


You may imagine then, my horror, when
heard a tremendous sneeze within an inch OF Inc
Just behind the head board of the bed and be-
tween that and the wall where there was con-
siderable space | had, as usual, taken the pre-
caution. before put the candle out, of looking
everywhere in the room where it was quite i'm
possible any person could be hid; but the little
ucove into which the bed was pushed l had
never so much as thought of looking into, al
though it was capital hiding place for anybody
Ever since / slept in that room, in short, had
been like the ostrich, who put his head in the
sand and then imagnes himsclfin security.


/ had piqued myself upon precautionary meas
ures that after all, might just well have been
omitted. The only thing, believe, which saved
my reason from departing altogether, when
heard that terrible sound, was that my mind
clung to the hope that it might be, after all, the
snceze of cat Fifty cats together could no
make half such disturbance, it is true, for il
was the sneeze Of a man who sneezed in spite o.
himself, and almost shook the house, but The
idea sustained me over the first shock.


The next instant the wretch had sneezed again
and pushing aside the bed which rolled on cas-
tors, I felt he was standing beside my pillow
looking at me. if he had given only one sncezc
he might, perhaps, have believed me asleep, as
l,y quito still, breathing as regularly as | could
and pretending to be- but he reasoned very justl,
that, unless was deaf Or dead, | must have beer
awakened by the second.


You're awake, marm," said he in grui
voice, ''and it's no use in shamming. If yol
don't want atap with this life-preserver just lool
alive.


opened my eyes exceedingly wide at thi
and beheld a man with Grape over his face
standing by the bedside; he had club, wit
two knots upon it, in his right hand, and witt
, his left he pointed to the safe
as the money therc?" said he.


The plate is, said l, in tremulous voice
6 pray take it, sir; | am sure you are very we
come" for he might have everything of value j
the room, with all my heart, so long as he save
my life.


The money-the gold-the notes-are the
there?" cried he again, in terrible sort OF
whisper


5 1T is all there cried I, although l kne,
nothing about it; ''all except fifteen and sll
pence in my purse, on the dressing table yonde


There's silver mustard pots in the pantry, and


couple of candlesticks in the study only they al
plated for would not deceive you, sir, on an
account.


You had better not" observed the burgl;
: grimly, ''or it will be all the worse for you"
: He produced key like that my husband use'
: and approached the iron safe but as he did 8