Mr. Ambrose Is ted. 245 



fond of society, and noted for his beautiful dancing, 

 also liis clever drawing; few country squires bad esta- 

 blished for themselves a more distiDguished position 

 than this gentleman who could neither speak nor 

 hear. 



Though quite unable to catch a note of the music, he 

 had few greater enjoyments than that of dancing ; and so 

 keen were his eye and sense of touch that if his partner 

 chanced to get out of time he would almost make a 

 grievance of it, and speedily show that he was aware of it 

 That partner, be she who she might, was never invited 

 to dance with him a second time. 



Considerable pains having been taken with his edu- 

 cation, he was always well-informed on the current topics 

 of the day. His skill in drawing was very remarkable. 

 Rarely did he return from hunting without making 

 sketches of some ludicrous or otherwise striking inci- 

 dents that may have occurred during the day ; and many 

 a page is filled with valuable memorials of events which 

 but for his graphic pencil would have passed into 

 oblivion. 



Mr. Isted's efforts at articulation were apparently 

 painful to himself and not pleasant to hear, but to a great 

 extent were intelligible to those with whom he was in 

 constant intercourse. 



By no means averse to exercising his speaking powers 

 upon perfect strangers, it was amusing to observe the 

 nervous effect his efforts at speech had upon these unfor- 

 tunates. By nineteen out of twenty of those he addressed 

 not one word was understood, and all that there was to 

 fall back upon was a vacant smile and a nod of apparent 

 comprehension. The usual resource of the nervous and 



