The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-04-05
PEARL AND EMERALD
CHAPTER XIV.
NATHAN LEVI AT HOME.

his preamble, the address of the old-clothes-
man; but he had some little difficulty in
finding it. There are few men who are
perfectly versed in the geography of the Sew
EN- Dials. And it was still more bewilder-
ing to him in that he was searching therein
for the abode Of the concentrated essence
of riches.
He felt little ashmed, after the manner
of fastidious people, at entering the slop-
shop, from which emanated the indescrib-
ably unpleasant odor that hangs about the
dwellings of misers and paupers. A lean
ribbed cat darted out as he entered, as if
flying from kick; it must have been of a
singularly hopeful temperament if it had
expected anything more. When he was
fairly inside, though it was broad daylight,
he could scarcely see for dust and gloom:
he might have been surrounded by emer-
aids for anything he could tell. Having
waited in vain for a minute or two, he be-
gan to tap impatently with coin upon
the counter.
There had been confused murmur of
voices in the place when he first entered it,
and it now seemed to proceed from the
room at the back, of which the door was
just ajar. Indeed, it could scarcely have
been otherwise than ajar, for the lock had
been pawned or sold for old brass long ago.
He had not the slightest wish to be an
eavesdropper, but could not help hearing
the following fragment of a dialogue, con-
Quoted for the most part in high tone on
both sides. One interocutor was woman;
the other was doubtless, the storekeeper in
person.
Leui. Go away With you, old woman
Vot can l do? l would 'elp her if l could
'elp myshelf. But vot can Won do in theshe
ERE timesh9 There-you shee my pock-
etsh. l will turn them out. There ish
thish Won 'apenny. That ish all I can
shpars-for Wy, that lsh all ave.
The Woman. All you have! All you
have, when you are rolling in gold up to
your eyes-all the streets says SO! Only
halfpenny when your own mother, that
bore you and was slave to you, is dying
at home for want of bread-when the hos
pital or the poor house must be her home
soon.
Leri. Oh. it's enough for to drive Won
Wild.
Tie Woman. Wild. | should think so,
you unnatural, you ungracious monster
There's for your halfpenny!
And there was a sound as of the break
ing of a window pane.
Leci. o Moshesh. Will you be quiet?
will do vot can. We're is she ?
| The Woman. Didn't tell you, think
ing you might care to know? Why, with
just a roof over her to-day-perhaps with
the earth over tomorrow. If you want to
know more, you must come.
Leri. Wy didn't she send to the Rabbi
Wy did mt she come on the Synagogue p
There ish lotsh of people,
The Woman. She sent to the Rabbi .
She come on the Synagogue? She let them
all know that the widow Levi was deserted
and left to die by her only son? That her
Nathan was what he is now?
Lesi. Woman, will you be the death of
me?
The Woman. 1t is you will be the death
of her. If you had been as poor as you
seem, you would have come to her, as you
did when you were poor before. But gold
has eaten into your soul. You have be-
come mad with greed. You are not the
first who has starved himself for the sake
of gold; but the first who has left his own
mother to die of hunger, you are! ALI!
you may try to look in my face-I defy
you! If 1 had but strangled you in your
cradle, ay, as many one would have
strangled monster like you.
Leri latter a long pause.) Woman, it ish
all true. ave no money-not ron 'apen-
ney new. That vosh my lasht, and you
ave tosshed i'm away. would give all
ave; but 'ow can I give nothing at all p
Tho Woman. Who wants you to give
nothing at all9 1t is something she wants,
to keep her from starving. And she will
die before she seeks it of any but YOU
that would kill her with shame. You will
noto am to 60 back and tell her that her
son, her Nathan, wanted to send her a
halfpenny to keep her alive9
Leyi Oh. vet will become of me?
The Woman. viii you come to her,
them
Lesi. Vot'sh the use ? am shtarving,
too.
The Woman. YOu-you starving! You,
who know how to coin gold! Do you tell
that to me? Do you think l am fool, to
believe such lieo
Leri have told you the truth-lf l
vosh dying, l could do no more. Leave
me in peashe.
Tile Woman. Yes, will leave you to
; peace as your boards will give you. But
will leave you something else, as WE'LL
, Your mother will not curse you even now.
But l will leave you mothers curse, all
, the same Aud you shat be cursed; yes,
, with all the curses of all the mothers OF
, Isreal. May
The reader shall be spared her long and
passionate imprecation, crouched in langu-
age that would he worse than out of place
! here. Arthur himself shuddered as he
, heard it, and could almost guess from his
own sensations what must have been it,
, effect upon the Jew.
When it was finished, the door opened,
and forth came an old Jewess, who would,
as she then appeared, have passed for the
double of the Witch of Endor. She hur
led a scornful and angry glance at Arthur,
, as if he, too, had been in the conspiracy tC
let Mrs. Levi die of hunger, and grief, anC
shame. But he, unutterably shocked by
! the story of which he had been an involun
tary auditor, stood in the doorway, and
as she passed, touched her hand with the