The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-03-06

Gwendolen had visited the home of the Meyrcks where she had talked with Mirah. he sternly forbade her from re- beating such a visit. You doubtless went there to inquire for yourself regard ing the relation between this young Jew ess- and Mir. Deronda." Defiantly Gwen dolen acknowledged this to be the fact What you might do individually does not, of course, matter much" continued Grandcourt brutally, but as my wife it matters a great deal. You will please to remember the position which you now occupy and govern yourself accordingly. continuance of this sort of thing in which you have been indulging-this openly displaying your interest in Mr. Deronda-might cause you to be talked about in the clubs in a manner which would be exceedingly disagreeable to me- Please remember He coolly turned his back and left her.
 Gwendolens visit to the Meyrick home had come about in this wise. Mirah, of course, had insisted upon doing something to earn her own livelihood and it had been arranged that she should, instead of returning to the stage, become a drawing room singer-a calling for which her voice and style of singing peculiarly fitted her. Deronda had used his social influence to get her engagements in some fashionable homes, and 1t had become quite the thing" to have Miss L4apidoth," as Mirah was known, professionally" to sing at entertainments.
 Then bat to talI Who has this young woman? Where had Deronda discovered her? What were the relations between them? Daniel was a model young man, of course-but then you know-just her patron? Oh certain ly! Well, as long as things are kept under the rose we can have her sing, you know, etc, etc. All this ill-natured gos- sip came eventually to the ears of Gwen dolen and aroused her jealousy. Yet, why should she be jealous? she asked herself What was 1t to her what De- ronda did or did not do? Nevertheless, she took sudden resolve and went as we have seen, to the Meyrick home. where she frankly, but as delicately as the subject would permit of, asked Mirah of the relations between herself and De- ronda. Mrah had answered her with equal frankness, telling her the whole story of their first meeting and of their present relations And Gwendolen be- lieved her-believed her absolutely-and was relieved.
 Meantime Deronda was busyng him self in the searching out of Mirahs brother and mother both of whom she believed to be still in London. He found | many Ezra Cohens in the Jewish quar- ter, but none that answered to the age and description of the lost brother, until one day he saw the name over the door of pawnshop, and, entering upon the pretext of buying something saw a bust ling business man who corresponded in age with the Ezra sought for. With him lived his mother, a matronly good-na- tured Jewess. his wife and one child, llt- | tie Jacob. Could these be the people he sought?
 | Daniel made friends with the little boy and soon after, returning to the shop upon some pretext. began to cultivate a friendship with the family which ended in his becoming on such intimate terms with them that he was invited to share a meal. At the Cohens table he met a young man. evidently far gone with consump- tion, who from the fish tails and other of the less desirable parts of the food which found their way to his plate, he saw at once was some sort of dependent. They called him Mordecai and he was a tutor to little Jacob besides making himself generally useful in Cohen's business.
 Deronda became greatly interested in Mordecai He was an idealist. He pos sessed much erudition in the line of He- brew history, literature and language. Much had he written in Hebrew on phil osophcal matters and matters of soci- ology. Some great idea possessed him. Deronda could see that. Deronda en- gagged him to teach Hebrew, and this threw them much together. as also it