The complacent
motion of his head and forefinger as he gently beat time, and
corrected the air with imaginary punctuation, the smile that
mantled on his features at every jocose passage, and the sly look
he stole around to observe its effect, the calm manner in which he
shut his eyes and listened when there was some little piece of
description, the changing expression with which he acted the
dialogue to himself, his agony that the deaf gentleman should know
what it was all about, and his extraordinary anxiety to correct the
reader when he hesitated at a word in the manuscript, or
substituted a wrong one, were alike worthy of remark. And when at
last, endeavouring to communicate with the deaf gentleman by means
of the finger alphabet, with which he constructed such words as are
unknown in any civilised or savage language, he took up a slate and
wrote in large text, one word in a line, the question, 'How - do -
you - like - it?' - when he did this, and handing it over the table
awaited the reply, with a countenance only brightened and improved
by his great excitement, even Mr. Miles relaxed, and could not
forbear looking at him for the moment with interest and favour.
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