“Ah!” exclaimed Attalie, in the manner of one largely, but not entirely, propitiated.  The maid suited her silent movement to the utterance, and the three witnesses exchanged slow looks of grave satisfaction.  Mistress and maid, since the will seemed to them so manifestly and entirely finished, began to whisper together, although the patient 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 happarent 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 dictated to me not-arie dthe following as heez laz weel and tes_tam_ent, wheech was written by me sayed not-arie as dictated 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 bickweath 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.’