30 THE GESTURE-LANGUAGE. 



the said testator informed us tliat Lis property was to go to 

 William Wigg (his wife's daughter's husband), in case his 

 wife's daughter died in his lifetime, were ... as follows : — He 

 repeated the signs indicating his property and his wife's 

 daughter, then laid the side of his head on the palm of his 

 right hand with his eyes closed, and lowered his hand towards 

 the ground as before (which meant her death) ; he then again 

 repeated the signs indicating his wife's daughter, and crossed 

 his left arm at the wrist with his right hand, which meant her 

 husband, the said William Wigg. He also communicated to 

 us by signs, that the said William Wigg resided in London. 

 The said William Wigg is in the employ of and superintends 

 the goods department of the North-Western Railway Company 

 at Camden Town. The signs by which the said testator in- 

 formed us that his property was to go to the children of his 

 wife's daughter and son-in-law, in case they both died in his 

 hfetime, were ... as follows, namely : — He repeated the signs 

 indicating the said William Wigg and his wife, and their death 

 before him, and then placed his right hand open a short dis- 

 tance from the ground, and raised it by degrees, and as if by 

 steps, which were his usual signs for pointing out their children, 

 and then swept his hand round with a sweeping motion, which 

 indicated that they were all to be brought in. The said tes- 

 tator always took great notice of the said children, and was 

 very fond of them. After the testator had in manner aforesaid 

 expressed to us what he intended to do by his said will, the said 

 R. T. Dunning, by means of the before-mentioned signs, and 

 by other motions and signs by which we were accustomed to 

 converse with him, informed the said testator what were the 

 contents and effect of the said will. 



" Sir J. P. Wilde granted the motion." 



The deaf-mute commonly expresses past and future time in a 

 concrete form, or by implication. To say " I have been ill," 

 he may convey the idea of his being ill by looking as though 

 he were so, pressing in his cheeks with thumb and finger to 

 give himself a lantern-jawed look, putting his hand to his head, 

 etc., and he may show that this event was " a day behind," " a 

 week behind," that is to say yesterday or a week ago, and so 



