"Call a child of the preparatory class for me."
The attendant returned, in a short time, with a deaf-mute of eight or
nine years, who had entered the institution a few days before.
"This girl," said the mistress, "is one of those whom we are instructing
in the first elements. This is the way it is done. I want to make her
say _a_. Pay attention."
The teacher opened her mouth, as one opens it to pronounce the vowel
_a_, and motioned to the child to open her mouth in the same manner.
Then the mistress made her a sign to emit her voice. She did so; but
instead of _a_, she pronounced _o_.
"No," said the mistress, "that is not right." And taking the child's two
hands, she placed one of them on her own throat and the other on her
chest, and repeated, "_a_."
The child felt with her hands the movements of the mistress's throat and
chest, opened her mouth again as before, and pronounced extremely well,
"_a_."
In the same manner, the mistress made her pronounce _c_ and _d_, still
keeping the two little hands on her own throat and chest.
"Now do you understand?" she inquired.
The father understood; but he seemed more astonished than when he had
not understood.
"And they are taught to speak in the same way?" he asked, after a moment
of reflection, gazing at the teacher. "You have the patience to teach
them to speak in that manner, little by little, and so many of them? one
by one--through years and years? But you are saints; that's what you
are! You are angels of paradise! There is not in the world a reward that
is worthy of you! What is there that I can say? Ah! leave me alone with
my daughter a little while now. Let me have her to myself for five
minutes."
And drawing her to a seat apart he began to interrogate her, and she to
reply, and he laughed with beaming eyes, slapping his fists down on his
knees; and he took his daughter's hands, and stared at her, beside
himself with delight at hearing her, as though her voice had been one
which came from heaven; then he asked the teacher, "Would the Signor
Director permit me to thank him?"
"The director is not here," replied the mistress; "but there is another
person whom you should thank. Every little girl here is given into the
charge of an older companion, who acts the part of sister or mother to
her. Your little girl has been intrusted to the care of a deaf-mute of
seventeen, the daughter of a baker, who is kind and very fond of her;
she has been assisting her for two years to dress herself every morning;
she combs her hair, she teaches her to sew, she mends her clothes, she
is good company for her.--Luigia, what is the name of your mamma in the
institute?"
The girl smiled, and said, "Ca-te-rina Gior-dano." Then she said to her
father, "She is ve-ry, ve-ry good."
The attendant, who had withdrawn at a signal from the mistress, returned
almost at once with a light-haired deaf-mute, a robust girl, with a
cheerful countenance, and also dressed in the red and white striped
stuff, with a gray apron; she paused at the door and blushed; then she
bent her head with a smile. She had the figure of a woman, but seemed
like a child.
Giorgio's daughter instantly ran to her, took her by the arm, like a
child, and drew her to her father, saying, in her heavy voice,
"Ca-te-rina Gior-dano."
"Ah, what a splendid girl!" exclaimed her father; and he stretched out
one hand to caress her, but drew it back again, and repeated, "Ah, what
a good girl! May God bless her, may He grant her all good fortune, all
consolations; may He make her and hers always happy, so good a girl is
she, my poor Gigia! It is an honest workingman, the poor father of a
family, who wishes you this with all his heart."
The big girl caressed the little one, still keeping her face bent, and
smiling, and the gardener continued to gaze at her, as at a madonna.
"You can take your daughter with you for the day," said the mistress.
"Won't I take her, though!" rejoined the gardener. "I'll take her to
Condove, and fetch her back to-morrow morning. Think for a bit whether I
won't take her!"
The girl ran off to dress.
"It is three years since I have seen her!" repeated the gardener. "Now
she speaks! I will take her to Condove with me on the instant. But first
I shall take a ramble about Turin, with my deaf-mute on my arm, so that
all may see her, and take her to see some of my friends! Ah, what a
beautiful day! This is consolation indeed!--Here's your father's arm, my
Gigia."
The girl, who had returned with a little mantle and cap on, took his
arm.
"And thanks to all!" said the father, as he reached the threshold.
"Thanks to all, with my whole soul! I shall come back another time to
thank you all again."
He stood for a moment in thought, then disengaged himself abruptly from
the girl, turned back, fumbling in his waistcoat with his hand, and
shouted like a man in a fury:--
"Come now, I am not a poor devil! So here, I leave twenty lire for the
institution,--a fine new gold piece."
And with a tremendous bang, he deposited his gold piece on the table.
"No, no, my good man," said the mistress, with emotion. "Take back your
money. I cannot accept it. Take it back. It is not my place. You shall
see about that when the director is here. But he will not accept
anything either; be sure of that. You have toiled too hard to earn it,
poor man. We shall be greatly obliged to you, all the same."
"No; I shall leave it," replied the gardener, obstinately; "and then--we
will see."
But the mistress put his money back in his pocket, without leaving him
time to reject it. And then he resigned himself with a shake of the
head; and then, wafting a kiss to the mistress and to the large girl, he
quickly took his daughter's arm again, and hurried with her out of the
door, saying:--
"Come, come, my daughter, my poor dumb child, my treasure!"