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"No, I don't suppose you did, or you would have been in the pitiable condition of the princess who had her head turned. I sat directly back of your box, in the dress-circle. Then you like Booth?" "Take care! That is a dangerous subject with my family," broke in Mrs. Levice. "Ruth has actually exhausted every adjective in her admiration vocabulary.
"As you say," began Levice, "we are not orthodox; but before we become orthodox or reform, we are born, and being born, we are invested with certain hereditary traits that are unconvertible. Every Jew bears in his blood the glory, the triumph, the misery, the abjectness of Israel. The farther we move in the generations, the fainter grown the inheritance.
"You are so slow," she said with a reckless little laugh; "I feel as if I could fly home." "Are you light-headed, Ruth?" asked her mother, but the girl had fallen behind them. She could not yet meet his eyes again. "Come, Ruth, either stay with us or just ahead of us." Mrs. Levice, awake, was an exemplary duenna. "There is nothing abroad here but the stars," she answered, flitting before them.
A high state of earthly beatitude has seldom been attained without great labor of mind or body by ourselves or those akin to us. Jules Levice had been thrown on the world when a boy of twelve. He resolved to become happy. Many of us do likewise; but we overlook the fact that we are provided with feet, not wings, and cannot fly to the goal.
Kemp's visits were short, but the two learned to look for his coming and the sound of his deep, cheery voice, as to their morning's tonic that would strengthen the whole day. Naturally, as he was a stranger, Mrs. Levice in her idleness had analyzed and discussed aloud his qualities, both personal and professional, to her satisfaction.
"And you?" she asked. "I shall sit beside you and use the other oar," he answered nonchalantly, smiling down at her. With a half-pleased feeling of discomfiture Ruth seated herself in the stern, whereupon Kemp sat in the contested throne. "You will have to excuse my turning my back on you, Mrs. Levice," he said pleasantly.
Levice suffered herself to be led there, and in a few words Ruth explained what she knew. "You knew that yesterday before the train left?" "Yes, Mamma." "And why didn't you tell me? I should have gone to him. Oh, why didn't you tell me?" "It would have been too late, dear." "No, it is too late now; do you hear? I shall never see him again, and it is all your fault what do you know?
MR. LEVICE: MY DEAR SIR, Pardon the hurried nature of this communication, but I must leave shortly on the in-coming train, having an important operation to undertake this morning; otherwise I should have liked to prepare you more fully, but time presses. Simply, then, I love your daughter.
Kemp, who pretends to be her friend, and I have seen them together many times, should have sent her there. Don't you?" "I do not understand it at all, neither Ruth nor him." "Surely you don't think Ruth knew anything of this?" questioned Mrs. Lewis, leaning forward and raising her voice in horror. "Of course not," returned Mrs. Levice, rather lamely.
Listen! It is frightful. I promise to go in the morning if we don't get a letter, but we probably shall. Let us play checkers for a while." With a forced stoicism she essayed to distract her mother's thoughts, but with poor success. The wretched afternoon drew to a close; and immediately after a show of dining, Mrs. Levice went to bed. At Ruth's suggestion she took some headache medicine.
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