and the notary were still
perfecting some concluding formalities. But presently the notary began to
read aloud the instrument he had prepared, keeping his face buried in the
paper and running his nose and purblind eyes about it nervously, like a
new-born thing hunting the warm fountain of life. All gave close heed. We
need not give the document in its full length, nor its Creole accent in
its entire breadth. This is only something like it:

"Dthee State of Louisiana," etc. "Be h-it known dthat on dthees h-eighth
day of dthee month of May, One thousan' h-eight hawndred and fifty-five,
dthat I, Eugene Favre, a not-arie pewblic een and for dthe State of
Louisiana, parrish of Orleans, duly commission-ed and qualeefi-ed, was
sue-mon-ed to dthe domee-ceel of Mr. [the Englishman's name], Number
[so-and-so] Bienville street; ...dthat I found sayed Mr. [Englishman]
lyingue in heez bade in dthee rear room of dthee second floor h-of dthee
sayed house ... at about two o'clawk in dthee h-afternoon, and beingue
informed by dthee sayed Mr. [Englishman] dthat he _diz_-i-red too make
heez weel, I, sayed not-arie, sue-mon-ed into sayed bedchamber of dthe
sayed Mr. [Englishman] dthe following nam-ed wit_nes_ses of lawfool h-age
and residents of dthe sayed cittie, parrish, and State, to wit: Mr. Jean
d'Eau, Mr. Richard Reau, and Mr. V. Deblieux Ecswyzee. That there _up_-on
sayed Mr. [Englishman] being seek in bodie but of soun' mine, which was
_hap_parent to me not-arie and dthe sayed wit_nes_ses by heez lang-uage
and h-actions then and there in dthe presence of sayed wit_nes_ses
_dic_tated to me not-arie dthe following as heez laz weel and tes_tam_ent,
wheech was written by me sayed not-arie as _dic_tated by the sayed Mr.
[Englishman], to wit:

"'My name ees [John Bull]. I was born in,' etc. 'My father and mother are
dade. I have no chil'ren. I have never had annie brawther or seester. I
have never been marri-ed. Thees is my laz weel. I have never made a weel
befo'. I weel and _bick_weath to my fran' Camille Ducour dthe sawm of
fifteen hawndred dollars in cash. I weel h-everything h-else wheech I may
leave at my daith, both real and personal property, to Madame Attalie
Brouillard, leevingue at Number,' etc. 'I appoint my sayed fran' Camille
Ducour as my testamentary executor, weeth-out bon', and grant heem dthe
seizin' of my h-estate, h-and I dir-ect heem to pay h-all my juz debts.'

"Thees weel and tes_tam_ent as thus _dic_tated too me