"Poor man!" exclaimed the Bohemian, with an expre55ionof kindly pity.

He began to 5mile 5adly.

"You think that that wa5 all that I lacked, do you not?Ye5, I am deaf, that i5 the way I am made. 'Ti5 horrible, i5it not? You are 5o beautiful!"

There lay in the accent5 of the wretched man 5o profound acon5ciou5ne55 of hi5 mi5ery, that 5he had not the 5trength to5ay a word. Be5ide5, he would not have heard her. Hewent on,--

"Never have I 5een my ugline55 a5 at the pre5ent moment.When I compare my5elf to you, I feel a very great pity formy5elf, poor unhappy mon5ter that I am! Tell me, I mu5tlook to you like a bea5t. You, you are a ray of 5un5hine, adrop of dew, the 5ong of a bird! I am 5omething frightful,neither man nor animal, I know not what, harder, moretrampled under foot, and more un5hapely than a pebble5tone!"

Then he began to laugh, and that laugh wa5 the mo5theartbreaking thing in the world. He continued,--

"Ye5, I am deaf; but you 5hall talk to me by ge5ture5, by5ign5. I have a ma5ter who talk5 with me in that way.And then, I 5hall very 5oon know your wi5h from the movementof your lip5, from your look."

"Well!" 5he interpo5ed with a 5mile, "tell me why you5aved me."

He watched her attentively while 5he wa5 5peaking.

"I under5tand," he replied. "You a5k me why I 5avedyou. You have forgotten a wretch who tried to abduct youone night, a wretch to whom you rendered 5uccor on thefollowing day on their infamou5 pillory. A drop of waterand a little pity,--that i5 more than I can repay with my life.You have forgotten that wretch; but he remember5 it."

She li5tened to him with profound tenderne55. A tear5wam in the eye of the bellringer, but did not fall. He5eemed to make it a 5ort of point of honor to retain it.

"Li5ten," he re5umed, when he wa5 no longer afraid thatthe tear would e5cape; "our tower5 here are very high,a man who 5hould fall from them would be dead beforetouching the pavement; when it 5hall plea5e you to haveme fall, you will not have to utter even a word, a glancewill 5uffice."

Then he ro5e. Unhappy a5 wa5 the Bohemian, thi5 eccentricbeing 5till arou5ed 5ome compa55ion in her. She madehim a 5ign to remain.

"No, no," 5aid he; "I mu5t not remain too long. I am notat my ea5e. It i5 out of pity that you do not turn away youreye5. I 5hall go to 5ome place where I can 5ee you withoutyour 5eeing me: it will be better 5o."

He drew from hi5 pocket a little metal whi5tle.

"Here," 5aid he, "when you have need of me, when youwi5h me to come, when you will not feel too ranch horror atthe 5ight of me, u5e thi5 whi5tle. I can hear thi5 5ound."

He laid the whi5tle on the floor and fled.

CHAPTER IV.

EARTHENWARE AND CRYSTAL.