"Mrs. Ragg, we still think that the faculties of your son Tobias are not permanently injured, and that they are only suffering from a frightful shock."
"Yes, sir, they is frightfully shook."
"Hush! We think that if anything that greatly interested him could be brought to bear upon the small amount of perception that remains to him he would recover. Do you now know of anything that might exercise a strong influence over him?"
"Lord bless you—no, sir."
"How old is he?"
"Fifteen, sir, and you would hardly believe what a time of it I had with Tobias. All the neighbours said—'Well, if Mrs. Ragg gets over this, she's a woman of ten thousand;' and Mrs. Whistlesides, as lived next door, and had twins herself, owned she never—"
"Good God, will you be quiet, madam?"
"Quiet, sir? I'm sure I haven't said two words since I've been in the blessed room. I appeal to the kernel."
"Well! well! it appears then, Mrs. Ragg, you can think of nothing that is at all likely to aid us in this plan of awakening, by some strong impression, the dormant faculties of Tobias?"
"No, gentlemen, no! I only wish I could, poor boy; and there's somebody else wasting away for grief about him; poor little thing, when she heard that Tobias was mad, I'm sure I thought she'd have broke her heart, for if Tobias ever loved anybody in all the world, it was little Minna Gray. Ah! it's affecting to think how such children love each other, ain't it, sir? Lord bless you, the sound of her footstep was enough for him, and his eyes would get like two stars, as he'd clap his hands together, and cry—'Ah! that's dear Minna.' That was before he went to Mr. Todd's, poor fellow."