"To be sure you can, and talk to me, which is better still. Come down and wash the potatoes for me, and then I'll find you some more work. Well, I do think we shall be very happy."

I followed Mary Stapleton down into the kitchen, and we were soon very busy, and very noisy, laughing, talking, blowing the fire, and preparing the dinner. By the time that her father came home, we were sworn friends.

CHAPTER V.

Is very didactic, and treats learnedly of the various senses, and "human nature;" is also diffuse on the best training to produce a moral philosopher— Indeed, it contains materials with which to build up one system, and half a dozen theories, as these things are now made.

I WAS rather curious, after the secret confided to me by Mary Stapleton, to see how her father would behave; but when we had sat and talked some time, as he appeared to have no difficulty in answering to any observation in a common pitch of the voice, I observed to him that he was not so deaf as I thought he was.

"No, no," replied he, "in the house I hear

very well, but in the open air I can't hear at all, if a person speaks to me two yards off. Always speak to me close to my ear in the open air, but not loud, and then I shall hear you very well." I caught a bright glance from Mary's blue eye, and made no answer. "This frost will hold, I'm afraid," continued Stapleton, "and we shall have nothing to do for some days but to blow our fingers and spend our earnings; but there's never much doing at this time of the year. The winter cuts us watermen up terribly. As for me, I smokes my pipe and thinks on human natur; but what you are to do, Jacob, I can't tell."

"Oh! he will teach me to read and write,” replied Mary.

“I don't know that he shall," replied Staple"What's the use of reading and writing

ton.

to you? We've too many senses already in my

F 5

opinion, and if so be we have learning to boot,

why then all the worse for us."

"How many senses are there, father?"

"How many! I'm sure I can't tell, but more than enough to puzzle us."

"There are only five, I believe,” said I: "first, there's hearing."

"Well," replied Stapleton, "hearing may be useful at times, but not hearing at times is much more convenient. I make twice as much money since I lost the better part of my hearing."

"Well, then, there's seeing," continued I. "Seeing is useful at times, I acknowledge; but I knows this, that if a man could pull a young couple about the river, and not be able to see now and then, it would be many a halfcrown in his pocket."

"Well, then, now we come to tasting."

“No use at all-only a vexation. If there was no tasting, we should not care whether we ate brown bread or roast beef, drank water or XX ale; and in these hard times, that would be no small saving."

"Well, then, let me see, there's smelling."

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Smelling's no use whatever. For one good smell by the river's side, there be ten nasty ones; and so there is every where, to my conviction."

"Which is the next, Jacob ?" said Mary, smiling archly.

"Feeling."

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Feeling! that's the worst of the whole. Always feel too cold in winter, too hot in summer-feel a blow too; feeling only gives pain; —that's a very bad sense."

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'Well, then, I suppose you think we should

get on better without our senses.

"No, not without all of them. A little hear