Ghetto Comedies

in on the pavement, and several times I fancied I detected him gazing at it sadly as if watching its advancing stages with a sort of hopeless fear. My anxiety about him and hi

e necessary for the picture, and these he was able to procure in the Ghetto Sunday mar

ow indefatigably he was in touch with the London Jewish charities, I inquired whether some committee could not do anything to assist Quarriar. Sir Asher was not very encouraging. The man knew no trade.

e only thing they could do was to repatriate the

f the man, was infinitely pathetic. Now and again came a fitful gleam of light. His second daughter would be given a week's work for a few shillings by his landlord, a working master-tailor in a small way, from whom

scheme was certainly a novel and surprising one to me, but it showed how the art of forcing a livelihood amid impos

would call to collect them week by week as they accumulated, till the amount he had advanced was exhausted. Quarriar would set up as a piece-sorter, and thus be able to employ his daughters too. The whole family would find occupation in sorting out their purchases, and each quality and size would be readily saleable as raw material, to be woven again into the cheaper woollen materials. Through the recommendation of his countrymen, there were several tailors who had readily agreed to give him the preference. His own

t revengefully, to acquaint the professional philanthropist, who had been

ploy my man Conn; he does a good deal of this sort of wor

ady found a partner.'

rough Conn. If I wanted my portrait painted, you wouldn't advise me to go to an amateur. By the way, here are the five poun

one into the figures and quantities-so many hundredweights, purchased at fifteen shillings, sorted into lots,

as to the cost of a partnership, but I was inclined to set down Sir Asher's s

riar's future would be safer from Kazelias under the auspices of Sir Asher and his Conn. So I

roubles began, and the picture pa

avour some people at the expense of others, and to be not at all popular among the people amid whom he worked. And altogether

uarriar faction was a shady customer; Conn had selected his own man, but

he reflection that to Sir Asher my model was nothing more than the usual applicant for assistance, wh

d his blessing. I was somewhat put out at learning that Conn had not yet given him the five pounds necessary to start him, as I had bee

days elapsed ere I found myself starting out to visit him at his home. He lived near Ratcliffe Highwa

my appearance at his humble abode, but he expressed pleasure, and led me up the narrow, steep stairway, whose ceiling almost touched my head as I climbed up after him. On the first floor the landlord, in festal raiment, intercepted us, introduc

lor painted himself as the champion of the poor fellow, and protested against this outside partnership that was being imposed on him by the notorious Conn. He himself, though he could scarcely afford it, was keeping his cuttings for him, in spite of tempting offers from other quarters, even of a shilling a sack. But of course he didn't

of the high-born visitor, and we all clinked glasses, the young

with no apparent conscious

ered most cordially into the discussion. The landlord started repeating his lament-what a pity it would be if Quarriar were really forced to accept Conn's partner-when Quarriar timidly blurted out that he had already signed the deed of partnership, though

in Yiddish. 'What

ss stairs. I was hardly prepared for the depressing spectacle that awaited me at their summit. It was not so much the shabby, fusty rooms, devoid of everything save a couple of mattresses, a rickety wooden table, a chair or two, and a heap of Passover cakes, as the unloveliness of the three wo

s I see through it a beauty that they are blind to. But here I confess I saw nothing but the ghastly

ndow?' I could n

I found something of the tragedy that had been swallowed in the sordidness. My eye fell again on the figure of my ho

splendour of the tragedy. Israel stood there, surrounded by all that was

the three younger children. They were still

ion of them when you make your for

replied. 'My bowels

inal seven pounds I was prepared to pay. 'If your

the steep staircase. His wom

o any Exhibition-I could not let it go without seeing it again, without a last touch or two. When, some months later, I returned to town, my first thought-inspired

even through the wires. 'Smashed

the imagination! Impossible! Why, I remembered countless little anecdotes about these very children, told me with the most evident fatherly pride. He had even repeated the quaint remarks the youngest had made on her return home from her first morning at the English school. Impossible that these things could have been invented on the spur of the moment. No; I could not possibly doubt the genuineness of my model's spontaneous talk, especially as in those

y further questions. I found myself approving of his conduct. 'A man ought not to be insulted by such absurd charges,' I said.

together, sorting in a cellar rented for the purpose, of which his partner kept the key. So smoothly had things gone that he had felt encouraged to invest even the reserve seven pounds I had given him, but when the cellar was full of their common stock, and his own suspicions had been lulled by the regular division of the profits-seventeen shillings

rogue's ultimate argument. 'Why shouldn't I

was the latter who in his venomous craft had told Conn the younger children did not exist. But, thank Heaven! his quiver was not empty of them. He had blissfu

uld absolutely produ

ly determined that the man's good name should be cleared. The crocodile partner must disgorge, and the eyes of my benevolent friend and of Conn must be finally opened to the injustice they had unwittin

dings, he had defied Quarriar with the remark that Mr. Conn would bear out his honesty. Quarriar could give as references, to show that he was an honest man and had made a true statement as to the number of his children, seven Russians (named) who would attest that the partner provided by Conn was well k

er niggardly sums to the partner for the purchase of goods, to wit, two separate sums of one pound each (of which he returned to Quarriar thirty-three shillings from sales), while Qua

t the time of the quarrel were only of the value of ten shillings, to which he was entitled, as Quarriar still owed him thirty-three shillings. Moreover, he

ent, could, from the bare materials presented, probe to the bottom of this matter. The arithmetic of both parties was hopelessly beyond me. T

mplexion, and I was torn by conflicting emotions a

a black rag, and was there a white, or were both rags parti-coloured? To take only the one point of the children, it would seem a very simple matter to determine whether a man has five daughters or two; and yet the more I looked into it, the more I saw the compl

s to be emptied of any comforts? Where were the silver candlesticks? These and other questions surged up torturingly. But I remembered the footsore figure on the Brighton pavement; I remembered the months he had

course in the circumstances. He appointed a date for all parties-himself, myself, Conn, the two partners, and any witn

being directed against him, so that he scarcely dared to draw breath, so thick was the air with treachery. He was afraid that his very friends, who were anxious no

tner. He welcomed it joyfully, and enthusiastically promised to obey the call and bring the children. I emptied my purse into his hand-there were three or four pound

e was a letter from Conn to announce that he h

clearly condemns him. The partner will be there, and I have arranged for Quarriar's landlord to appear if you think it necessary. I may a

him of the absolute necessity of appearing with the

ce the ex

ar

call for the committee to tell the truth for I will be put into mischief and trouble. It is stated also that the same gentleman does not require the truth. He helps only those he likes to. So I will not call and wish you my dear gentleman not to trouble to come. Therefor

el Qu

nclose you herewith the same letter I received, it is written in Jewish. Please not to show it to anyone but to tear it at once as I would not trust it to any other one. I would certainly c