Theodore, count of Solar

Found wandering the streets of Paris, homeless, lost and ragged; brought to the deaf school of Charles Michel de l'Epee (q.v.). Since the uneducated boy did even not know his own name, the abbe named him Theodore, and took him into the school. As the boy grew up and gained more education, the things he said led de l'Epee to believe that he, the boy, was a lost deaf member of a wealthy family. When the boy reached young manhood, he was sent out with another student and a hearing teacher to tour France and see if they could find his origin. After months without success, they had almost given up when Theodore suddently recognized the city of Toulouse and a particular house in it. Inquiries revealed the house had belonged to a count, the son and heir of which was a deaf and mute boy who, it was claimed, had died in Paris years before. A cousin had inherited instead and held the title and estates. De l'Epee, convinced that Theodore was the rightful heir, took the case to the courts, and eventually won a judgment in the boy's favor. But before the decree could be carried out, the old abbe died, the cousin prevailed upon the court to reverse its decision, and Theodore lost his case. In despair, he joined a military regiment, threw himself into combat, and was killed in his first battle.