A DEAF GIRL.
"Yes, Lady Moulton, I will undertake the gypsy tent business at your
fete; that is to say, I will see to the getting up of the tent, provide
a gypsy for you, and someone to stand at the door and let in one visitor
at a time and receive the money. Do you mean to make it a fixed charge,
or leave it to each to pay the gypsy?"
"Which do you think will be best, Hilda? Of course the great thing is to
get as much money for the decayed ladies as possible."
"I should say that it would be best to let them give what they like to
the gypsy, Lady Moulton."
"But she might keep some of it herself."
"I think I can guarantee that she won't do that; I will get a dependable
gypsy. You see, you could not charge above a shilling entrance, and very
likely she would get a good deal more than that given to her."
"Well, my dear, I leave it all to you. Spare no expense about the tent
and its fitting up. I have set my heart upon the affair being a success,
and I think everything else has been most satisfactorily arranged. It is
a very happy thought of yours about the gypsy; I hope that you will find
a clever one. But you must mind and impress upon her that we don't want
any evil predictions. Nothing could be in worse taste. It is all very
well when a girl is promised a rich husband and everything to match, but
if she were told that she would never get married, or would die young,
or something of that sort, it would be a most unpleasant business."
"I quite agree with you, and will see that everything shall be 'couleur
de rose' as to the future, and that she shall confine herself as much as
possible to the past and present."
"I leave it in your hands, and I am sure that it will be done nicely."
Lady Moulton was a leading member of society, a charming woman with a
rich and indulgent husband. Her home was a pleasant one, and her balls
were among the most popular of the season. She had, as her friends said,
but one failing, namely, her ardor for "The Society for Affording Aid to
Decayed Ladies." It was on behalf of this institution that she was now
organizing a fete in the grounds of her residence at Richmond. Hilda
Covington was an orphan and an heiress, and was the ward of her uncle,
an old Indian officer, who had been a great friend of Lady Moulton's
father. She had been ushered into society under her ladyship's auspices.
She had, however, rather forfeited that lady's favorable opinion by
refusing two or three unexceptionable offers.
"My dear," she remonstrated, "no girl can afford to throw away such
chances, even if she is, as you are, well endowed, pretty, and clever."
The girl laughed.
"I am not aware that I am clever at all, Lady Moulton. I speak German
and French perfectly, because I have been four or five years in Hanover;
but beyond that I am not aware of possessing any special
accomplishments."
"But you are clever, my dear," the other said decidedly. "The way you
seem to understand people's characters astonishes me. Sometimes it seems
to me that you are almost a witch."
"You are arguing against yourself," the girl laughed. "If I am such a
good judge of character I am not likely to make a mistake in such an
important matter as choosing a husband for myself."
Lady Moulton was silenced, but not convinced; however, she had good
sense enough to drop the subject. General Mathieson had already told her
that although he should not interfere in any way with any choice Hilda
might make, he should make it an absolute condition that she should not
marry until she came of age; and as she was at present but eighteen,
many things might occur in the three years' interval.
On her return home, after arranging to provide a gypsy for Lady
Moulton's fete, Hilda related what had occurred to a girl friend who was
staying with her.
"Of course, Netta, I mean to be the gypsy myself; but you must help me.
It would never do for me to be suspected of being the sorceress, and so
you must be my double, so that I can, from time to time, go out and mix
with the crowd. A few minutes at a time will do."
The other laughed. "But what should I say to them, Hilda?"
"Oh, it is as easy as A B C. All that you will have to do is to speak
ambiguously, hint at coming changes, foresee a few troubles in the way,
and prophesy a happy solution of the difficulties. I will take upon
myself the business of surprising them, and I fancy that I shall be able
to astonish a few of them so much that even if some do get only
commonplaces we shall make a general sensation. Of course, we must get
two disguises. I shall have a small tent behind the other where I can
change. It won't take a moment--a skirt, and a shawl to go over my head
and partly hide my face, can be slipped on and off in an instant. Of
course I shall have a black wig and some sort of yellow wash that can be
taken off with a damp towel. I shall place the tent so that I can leave
from behind without being noticed. As we shall have the tent a good deal
darkened there will be no fear of the differences between the two
gypsies being discovered, and, indeed, people are not likely to compare
notes very closely."
"Well, I suppose you will have your way as usual, Hilda."
"I like that!" the other said, with a laugh. "You were my guide and
counselor for five years, and now you pretend that I always have my own
way. Why, I cannot even get my own way in persuading you to come and
settle over here. I am quite sure that you would get lots of pupils,
when people understand the system and its advantages."
"That is all very well, Hilda, but, you see, in the first place I have
no friends here except yourself, and in the second it requires a good
deal of money to get up an establishment and to wait until one gets
pupils. My aunt would, I know, put in the money she saved when you were
with us if I were to ask her, but I wouldn't do so. To begin with, she
regards that as my fortune at her death. She has said over and over
again how happy the knowledge makes her that I shall not be left
absolutely penniless, except, of course, what I can get for the house
and furniture, and I would do anything rather than sell that. She admits
that I might keep myself by teaching deaf children, but, as she says, no
one can answer for their health. I might have a long illness that would
throw me out. I might suddenly lose a situation, say, from the death of
a pupil, and might be a long time before I could hear of another. She
said to me once, 'I do hope, Netta, you will never embark one penny of
the little money that will come to you in any sort of enterprise or
speculation, however promising it may look.' We had been talking of
exactly the plan that you are now speaking of. 'The mere furnishing of a
house in England large enough to take a dozen children would swallow up
a considerable sum. At first you might have to wait some time till you
could obtain more than two or three children, and there would be the
rent and expenses going on, and you might find yourself without money
and in debt before it began to pay its way; therefore I do hope that you
will keep the money untouched except to meet your expenses in times of
illness or of necessity of some kind. If you can save up money
sufficient to start an establishment, it will, I think, be a good thing,
especially if you could secure the promise of four or five pupils to
come to you at once. If in a few years you should see your way to insure
starting with enough pupils to pay your way, and I am alive at the time,
I would draw out enough to furnish the house and will look after it for
you.' That was a great concession on her part, but I certainly would
not let her do it, for she is so happy in her home now, and I know that
she would worry herself to death."
"Well, Netta, you know I am still ready to become the capitalist."
Both girls laughed merrily.
"Why not, Netta?" the speaker went on. "I know you said that you would
not accept money as a loan even from me, which, as I told you, was very
stupid and very disagreeable, but there is no reason why we should not
do it in a business way. Other women go into business, why shouldn't I?
As you know, I can't absolutely touch my money until I come of age, and
it is nearly three years before that; still, I feel sure that the
General would let me have some money, and we could start the Institute.
It would be great fun. Of course, in the first place, you would be
principal, or lady superintendent, or whatever you like to call
yourself, and you would draw, say, five hundred pounds a year. After
that we could divide the profits."
Again both girls laughed.
"And that is what you call a business transaction?" the other said. "I
know that your guardian is very kind, and indeed spoils you altogether,
but I don't think that you would get him to advance you money for such a
scheme."
"I am really in earnest, Netta."
"Oh, I don't say that you would not do it, if you could. However, I
think, anyhow, we had better wait until you come of age. There is plenty
of time. I am only twenty yet, and even in three years' time I doubt
whether I should quite look the character of professor or lady
superintendent."
"Well, directly I get of age I shall carry out my part of the plan,"
Hilda said positively, "and if you are disagreeable and won't do as I
want you, I shall write to the professor and ask him to recommend a
superintendent."
The other laughed again.
"You would have a difficulty, Hilda. You and I are, so far, the only
two English girls who have learned the system, and either your
superintendent would have to learn English or all her pupils would have
to learn German."
"We will not discuss it further at present, Miss Purcell," Hilda said
with dignity. "Oh, dear, those were happy days we had in that dear old
house, with its pretty garden, when you were thirteen and I was eleven.
I have got a great deal of fun from it since. One gets such curious
little scraps of conversation."
"Then the people do not know what you learned over with us?"
"No, indeed; as you know, it was not for a year after I came back that I
became altogether the General's ward, and my dear mother said to me just
before she died, 'It would be better for you, dear, not to say anything
about that curious accomplishment of yours. I know that you would never
use it to any harm, but if people knew it they would be rather afraid of
you.' Uncle said the same thing directly I got here. So of course I have
kept it to myself, and indeed if they had not said so I should never
have mentioned it, for it gives me a great deal of amusement."
When Hilda Covington was ten years old, she had, after a severe attack
of scarlet fever, lost her hearing, and though her parents consulted the
best specialists of the time, their remedies proved of no avail, and at
last they could only express a hope, rather than an opinion, that in
time, with added health and strength, nature might repair the damage. A
year after her illness Mr. Covington heard of an aurist in Germany who
had a European reputation, and he and Mrs. Covington took Hilda over to
him. After examining her he said, "The mischief is serious, but not, I
think, irreparable. It is a case requiring great care both as to
dieting, exercise, and clothing. If it could be managed I should like to
examine her ears once a fortnight, or once a month at the least. I have
a house here where my patients live when under treatment, but I should
not for a moment advise her being placed there. A child, to keep in
good health, requires cheerful companions. If you will call again
to-morrow I will think the matter over and let you know what I
recommend."
Mr. and Mrs. Covington retired much depressed. His opinion was, perhaps,
a little more favorable than any that they had received, but the thought
that their only child must either make this considerable journey once a
month or live there altogether was very painful to them. However, on
talking it over, they agreed that it was far better that she should
reside in Hanover for a time, with the hope of coming back cured, than
that she should grow up hopelessly deaf.
"It will only be as if she were at school here," Mr. Covington said.
"She will no doubt be taught to talk German and French, and even if she
is never able to converse in these languages, it will add to her
pleasures if she can read them."
The next day when they called upon the doctor he said, "If you can bring
yourself to part with the child, I have, I think, found the very thing
to suit her. In the first place you must know that there is in the town
an establishment, conducted by a Professor Menzel, for the instruction
of deaf mutes. It is quite a new system, and consists in teaching them
to read from the lips of persons speaking to them the words that they
are saying. The system is by no means difficult for those who have
still, like your daughter, the power of speech, and who have lost only
their hearing. But even those born deaf and dumb have learned to be able
to converse to a certain degree, though their voices are never quite
natural, for in nine cases out of ten deaf mutes are mutes only because
they have never learned to use their tongue. However, happily that is
beside the question in your daughter's case. I hope that she will regain
her hearing; but should this unfortunately not be the case, it will at
least be a great mitigation to her position to be able to read from the
lips of those who address her what is said, and therefore to converse
like an ordinary person. I can assure you that many of Herr Menzel's
pupils can converse so easily and rapidly that no one would have the
least idea of the misfortune from which they suffer, as in fact they
feel no inconvenience beyond the fact that they are not aware of being
addressed by anyone standing behind them, or whose face they do not
happen to be watching."
"That would indeed be a blessing!" Mrs. Covington exclaimed. "I never
heard of such a system."
"No, it is quite new, but as to its success there can be no question. I
called upon Professor Menzel last evening. He said that as your daughter
did not understand German the difficulties of her tuition would be very
great. He has, however, among his pupils a young English girl two years
older than your daughter. She lives with a maiden aunt, who has
established herself here in order that her niece might have the benefit
of learning the new system. Here is her name and address. The professor
has reason to believe that her income is a small one, and imagines that
she would gladly receive your daughter as a boarder. Her niece, who is a
bright girl, would be a pleasant companion, and, moreover, having in the
two years that she has been here made very great progress, she would be
able to commence your daughter's education by conversing with her in
English, and could act as her teacher in German also; and so soon as the
language was fairly mastered your daughter could then become a pupil of
the professor himself."
"That would be an excellent plan indeed," Mrs. Covington said, and her
husband fully agreed with her. The doctor handed her a slip of paper
with the name, "Miss Purcell, 2nd Etage, 5 Koenigstrasse."
Hilda had already been informed by the finger alphabet, which had been
her means of communication since her illness, of the result of the
conversation with the doctor on the previous day, and although she had
cried at the thought of being separated from her father and mother, she
had said that she would willingly bear anything if there was a hope of
her regaining her hearing. She had watched earnestly the conversation
between the doctor and her parents, and when the former had left and
they explained what was proposed, her face brightened up.
"That will be very nice," she exclaimed, "and if I could but learn to
understand in that way what people say, instead of watching their
fingers (and some of them don't know the alphabet, and some who do are
so slow that one loses all patience), it would be delightful."
Before going to see Miss Purcell, Mr. and Mrs. Covington talked the
matter over together, and they agreed that, if Miss Purcell were the
sort of person with whom Hilda could be happy, no plan could be better
than that proposed.
"It certainly would not be nice for her," Mrs. Covington said, "to be
living on a second floor in a street; she has always been accustomed to
be so much in the open air, and as the doctors all agree that much
depends upon her general health, I am sure it will be quite essential
that she should be so now. I think that we should arrange to take some
pretty little house with a good garden, just outside the town, and
furnish it, and that Miss Purcell and her niece should move in there. Of
course we should pay a liberal sum for board, and if she would agree, I
should say that it would be best that we should treat the house as ours
and should pay the expenses of keeping it up altogether. I don't suppose
she keeps a servant at present, and there are many little luxuries that
Hilda has been accustomed to. Then, of course, we would pay so much to
the niece for teaching Hilda German and beginning to teach her this
system. I don't suppose the whole thing would cost more than three
hundred pounds a year."
"The expense is nothing," Mr. Covington said. "We could afford it if it
were five times the amount. I think your idea is a very good one, and we
could arrange for her to have the use of a pony-carriage for two or
three hours a day whenever she was disposed. The great thing is for her
to be healthy and happy."
Ten minutes after they started with Hilda to see Miss Purcell, after
having explained to her the plan they proposed. At this she was greatly
pleased. The thought of a little house all to themselves and a girl
friend was a great relief to her, and she looked brighter and happier
than she had done since she had lost her hearing. When they knocked at
the door of the apartment on the second floor, it was opened by a
bright-faced girl of thirteen.
"This is Miss Purcell's, is it not?" Mrs. Covington asked.
"Yes, ma'am," the girl replied, with a slight expression of surprise
which showed that visitors were very rare.
"Will you give my card to her and say that we shall be glad if she will
allow us a few minutes' conversation with her?"
The girl went into the room and returned in a minute or two. "Will you
come in?" she said. "My aunt will be glad to see you."
Miss Purcell was a woman of some fifty years old, with a pleasant,
kindly face. The room was somewhat poorly furnished, but everything was
scrupulously neat and tidy, and there was an air of comfort pervading
it.
"We have called, Miss Purcell," Mrs. Covington began, "in consequence of
what we have learned from Dr. Hartwig, whom we have come over to
consult, and who has been good enough to see Professor Menzel. He has
learned from him that your niece here is acquiring the system of
learning to understand what is said by watching the lips of speakers.
The doctor is of opinion that our daughter may in time outgrow the
deafness that came on a year ago, after scarlet fever, but he wishes her
to remain under his eye, and he suggested that it would be well that she
should learn the new system, so that in case she does not recover her
hearing she would still be able to mingle with other people. Hilda is
delicate, and it is necessary that she should have a cheerful home;
besides which she could not begin to learn the system until she had
become familiar with German. The doctor suggested that if we could
persuade you to do us the great kindness of taking her under your charge
it would be the best possible arrangement."
"I should be glad to do so, madam, but I fear that I could not
accommodate her, for it is a mere closet that my niece sleeps in, and
the other apartments on this floor are all occupied. Were it not for
that I should certainly be glad to consider the matter. It would be
pleasant to Netta to have a companion, for it is but dull work for her
alone with me. We have few acquaintances. I do not mind saying frankly
that my means are straitened, and that I cannot indulge her with many
pleasures. She is a grandniece of mine; her father died some years ago,
her mother three years since, and naturally she came to me. Shortly
after, she lost her hearing through measles. Just at that time I
happened to hear from a German workman of the institution which had been
started in this town, of which he was a native. I had no ties in
England, and as I heard that living was cheap there, and that the fees
were not large, I decided to come over and have her taught this new
system, which would not only add greatly to her own happiness, but would
give her the means of earning her livelihood when she grew up; for
although I have a small pension, as my father was an Excise officer,
this, of course, will expire at my death."
"Happily, Miss Purcell, we are in a position to say that money is no
object to us. Hilda is our only child. We have talked it over, of
course, and will tell you exactly what we propose, and I hope that you
will fall in with the arrangement."
She then stated the plan that she and her husband had discussed.
"You see," she went on, "you would, in fact, be mistress of the house,
and would have the entire management of everything as if it was your
own. We are entirely ignorant of the cost of living here, or we might
have proposed a fixed monthly payment for the expenses of servants and
outgoings, and would still do that if you would prefer it, though we
thought that it would be better that you should, at the end of each
month, send us a line saying what the disbursements had been. We would
wish everything done on a liberal scale. Hilda has little appetite, and
it will, for a time, want tempting. However, that matter we could leave
to you. We propose to pay a hundred a year to you for your personal
services as mistress of the house, and fifty pounds to your niece as
Hilda's companion and instructor in German and in the system, until she
understands the language well enough to attend Professor Menzel's
classes. If the house we take has a stable we should keep a pony and a
light carriage, and a big lad or young man to look after it and drive,
and to keep the garden in order in his spare time. I do hope, Miss
Purcell, that you will oblige us by falling in with our plans. If you
like we can give you a day to consider them."
"I do not require a minute," she replied; "my only hesitation is because
the terms that you offer are altogether too liberal."
"That is our affair," Mrs. Covington said. "We want a comfortable, happy
home for our child, and shall always feel under a deep obligation to you
if you will consent."
"I do consent most willingly and gratefully. The arrangement will be a
delightful one for me, and I am sure for Netta."
Netta, who had been standing where she could watch the lips of both
speakers, clapped her hands joyously. "Oh, auntie, it will be splendid!
Fancy having a house, and a garden, and a pony-chaise!"
"You understand all we have been saying then, Netta?"
"I understand it all," the girl replied. "I did not catch every word,
but quite enough to know all that you were saying."
"That certainly is a proof of the goodness of the system," Mr. Covington
said, speaking for the first time. "How long have you been learning?"
"Eighteen months, sir. We have been here two years, but I was six months
learning German before I knew enough to begin, and for the next six
months I could not get on very fast, as there were so many words that I
did not know, so that really I have only been a year at it. The
professor says that in another year I shall be nearly perfect and fit to
begin to teach; and he has no doubt that he will be able to find me a
situation where I can teach in the daytime and still live with my aunt."
In a week the necessary arrangements were all made. A pretty, furnished
house, a quarter of a mile out of town, with a large garden and stables,
had been taken, and Netta and Hilda had already become friends, for as
the former had learned to talk with her fingers before she came out she
was able to keep up her share of the conversation by that means while
Hilda talked in reply.
"The fingers are useful as a help at first," Netta said, "but Professor
Menzel will not allow any of his pupils to use their fingers, because
they come to rely upon them instead of watching the lips."