Year: 1873

CHAPTER V.


THE WORTH OF DEAD MAGPIE.


There was Mrs. Levi.


This sounds startling, when it is remem-
bered what sort of a man was Mr.. Levi;
but it is less startling when it is understood
that Mrs. Levi was not Mr.. Lewis wife but
his mother.


She was all old Jewess, something more
than plain, but not sufficiently ugly to have
borne such son. "CetaI done, Monsieur
potre psre qui etaH 81 laid" as Talleyrand
said to some one who was boasting of his
mothers beauty. And, whether for his
fathers sake or his own, she dotted upon
her Nathan with love that to any heart
but mothers is simply inconceivable,
thinking him the best, wisest, and noblest
creature in the world. And, whatever his
merits or dement's might be, he was at all
events model son.


Well he might be: we'll might he bestow
upon his mother all the affection that was
in his heart to bestow, for there was GER
tainly no one in the world but she who
would have hold him good or noble; who
would not held him either in fear or scorn.
But he to her was as the very apple of her
eye. She had been his protectress in his
infancy, his willing slave while he was
making his way in the world, and he was
now showing his gratitude to her in his
prosperity with her.


They lived together in large house in
the neighborhood of Paddington, in much
solitude as far as friends and acquaint-
ances were concerned, but in style of
much luxury as regarded themselves. Do
mestic matters were attended to by house
keeper, who was Jewess we'll in years,
and who was besides devoted companion
to the old lady, and faithful servant to
her master. These three made up the
family: and there were good many ser
wants besides who found their places not
altogether Improbable. In fact, the ex-
penditure of the household bordered upon
the extravagant. Levi himself, if lie was
greedy in getting, was not sparing in
spending-indeed, it is a characteristic of
his people that, if they are aIaeni aridi-
which may or may not be the case with
them more than with Gentiles-they are
also SUI profusi. An avaricious Jew is, of
course, as common as an avaricious Cen
tile; but Hebrew is less common than
Gentle miser, let people say what they
will. "The People, if they understand
the value of money, know its use also.


But though-with the exception of his
mother and of his housekeeper, Judith-he
had no friends, great many people were
we'll, a great many far too well, acquaint-
ed with the hideous dwarf. The number
of irons that he had in the fire were well
nigh innumerable. He was practically the
banker of half the eldest sons of England,
to whom he advanced money at-well,
shame refuses to say at how much per
cent. But he was generous banker in
this way, and cared more for interest than
fer security: as the story of the sale shows
he was content to risk much for the bare
chance of large return. His was the
principle of bloekade-runners; he went IN
for grand coups, and even calculated upon
losing eleven cargoes out of twelve. But
then his profits upon the twelfth more than
recouped him for his losses on the eleven.
Then he was dealer in pictures and in
works of art generally; and he was the
depcsitary for more than half the jewelry
of great ladies whose pin-money was not
sufficient to pay for their pins. And he
did a great deal besides in funds, in thea
ters, and in shares of all sorts and kinds
In fact, wherever money was to be turned,
there was Nathan Levi, with his pitchfork
in his vulture talons, to help turn it. And,
somehow, he generally stood on the sunny
side of the haycock. A man must have
something to live for: and for him, upon
whom no man could look without con-
tempt, no woman without loathing, what
was there to live for but one thing In
deed, in such cases, doubt if the pursuit
of gold, though for its own sake, is alto
gether ignoble. 1t contains the romance
of impossible love-the glory of closed
ambition. Lust of pleasure and lust OF
fame have their bards, while lust of gold
is treated with contempt at the hands OF
poets which is ill-deserved, seeing that
freedom from it is not by any means one OF
their special virtues. But is the lust that
is praised in itself nobler than the lust that
is condemned Are not both alike vanity
and apples of the Dead Sea: For my part,
l consider Alexander the Great as being
very much on a level with John Elves.


But, as do not expect one of my read
ers to agree with me, let us all return
to our sheep, or rather to our shepherd,
before whose shears the wool of many a
silly, if not quito innocent, sheep had
fallen.


He carried home his purchases in his
yellow brougham. Then he dlned alone,
hurling into his ogrish mouth whole
feast of Guildhall. He ate the acres OF
many fair estate: he drank rivers of gold
and silver, molten into champagne. When
he had finished, he had his own private
cabinet illuminated with wax candles, gave
the strictest orders both to his valet and tc
Judith that he was not to be disturbed
and retired in order to examine and to re.
port to himself upon the purchases of the
morning.


A Rembrandt, whose chiaroscuro was
enough to send connoisseur wild witt
delight, but which he admired because he
had got it bargain: Giorgione, ovel
which he shook his head little, fearing
that he had given for it a few pounds moro
than he intended: a Michael Angelo o.