d 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 Stapleton. "What's the use of
reading and writing to you? We've too many senses already, in my
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 half-crown 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_."

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

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

"_Feeling_."

"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."

"Well, then, I suppose you think we should get on better without our
senses."

"No, not without all of them. A little hearing and a little seeing be
all very well; but there are othe