d,' I, too, murmured, and fell to work,
exalted.

I worked, for the most part, in rapt silence--perhaps the model's
silence was contagious--but gradually through the days I grew to
communion with his shy soul, and piecemeal I learnt his sufferings. I
give his story, so far as I can, in his own words, which I often
paused to take down, when they were characteristic.

CHAPTER II

THE MODEL'S STORY

I came here because Russia had grown intolerable to me. All my life,
and during the lives of my parents, we Quarriars had been innkeepers,
and thereby earned our bread. But Russia took away our livelihood for
herself, and created a monopoly. Thus we were left destitute. So what
could I do with a large family? Of London and America I had long heard
as places where they have compassion on foreigners. They are not
countries like Russia, where Truth exists not. Secondly, my children
also worried me greatly. They are females, all the five, and a female
in Russia, however beautiful, good and clever she be, if she have no
dowry, has to accept any offer of marriage, however uncongenial the
man may be. These things conspired to drive me from Russia. So I
turned everything into money, and realized three hundred and fifty
roubles. People had told me that the whole journey to London should
cost us two hundred roubles, so I concluded I should have one hundred
and fifty roubles with which to begin life in the new country. It was
very bitter to me to leave my Fatherland, but as the moujik says:
'Necessity brings everything.' So we parted from our friends with many
tears: little had we thought we should be so broken up in our old age.
But what else could I do in such a wretched country? As the moujik
says: 'If the goat doesn't want to go to market it is compelled to
go.' So I started for London. We travelled to Isota on the Austrian
frontier. As we sat at the railway-station there, wondering how we
were going to smuggle ourselves across the frontier, in came a
benevolent-looking Jew with a long venerable beard, two very long
ear-locks, and a girdle round his waist, washed his hands
ostentatiously at the station tap, prayed aloud the _Asher Yotzer_
with great fervour, and on finishing his prayer looked everyone
expectantly in the eyes, and all responded 'Amen.' Then he drew up his
coat-sleeve with great deliberation, extended his hand, gave me an
effusive '_Shalom Aleichem_' and asked me how it went with me. Soon he
began to talk