s to trouser-pocket the money, Barstein saw
that he had no waistcoat.

II

About six months later, when Barstein had utterly forgotten the
episode, he received another letter whose phraseology instantly
recalled everything.

'_To the most Honourable Competent Authentical Illustrious
Authority and Universal Celebrious Dignity of the very
Famous Sculptor._

'3A, THE MINORIES, E.

'DEAR SIR,

'I have the honour and pleasure now to render the real and
sincere gratitude of my very much obliged thanks for Your
grand gracious clement sympathical propitious merciful liberal
compassionable cordial nobility of your real humane generous
benevolent genuine very kind magnanimous philanthropy, which
afforded to me a great redemption of my very lamentable
desperate necessitous need, wherein I am at present very poor
indeed in my total ruination by the cruel cynical Russia,
therein is every day a daily tyrannous massacre and
assassinate, here is nothing to do any more for me previously,
I shall rather go to Bursia than to Russia. I received from
Your dear kind amiable amicable goodness recently L4 the same
was for me a momental recreateing aid in my actual very
indigent paltry miserable calamitous situation wherein I gain
now nothing and I only perish here. Even I cannot earn here my
daily bread by my perfect scientifick Knowledge of diverse
languages, I know the philological neology and archaiology,
the best way is for me to go to another country to wit, to
Bursia or Turkey. Thus, I solicit and supplicate Your
charitable generosity by my very humble and instant request to
make me go away from here as soon as possible according to
Your humane kind merciful clemency.

'Your obedient Servant respectfully,
'NEHEMIAH SILVERMANN,
'_Dentist and Professor of Languages_.'

So an Academy of Languages had evolved from the gas, not a restaurant.
Anyhow the dictionary was in distress again. Emigration appeared now
the only salvation.

But where in the world was Bursia? Possibly Persia was meant. But why
Persia? Wherein lay the attraction of that exotic land, and whatever
would Mrs. Silvermann and her overflowing progeny do in Persia?
Nehemiah's original suggestion of Jerusalem had been much more
intelligible. Perhaps it persisted still under th