EIN,

'I have now the honour to again solicit Your genteel genuine
sympathical humane philanthropic kind cordial nobility to
oblige me at present by Your merciful loan of gracious second
and propitious favourable aidance in my actually poor indigent
position in which I have no earn by my dental practice
likewise no help, also no protection, no recommendation, no
employment, and then the competition is here very violent. I
was ruined by Russia, and I have nothing for the celebration
of our Jewish new year. Consequentially upon your merciful
archangelical donative I was able to make my livelihood by my
dental practice even very difficult, but still I had my vital
subsistence by it till up now, but not further for the little
while, in consequence of it my circumstances are now in the
urgent extreme immense need. Thus I implore Your competent,
well famous good-hearted liberal magnanimous benevolent
generosity to respond me in Your beneficent relief as soon as
possible, according to Your kind grand clemence of Your good
ingenuous genteel humanity. I wish You a happy new year.

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

But when the reading was finished, Schneemann's comment was
unexpected.

'_Rosh Hashanah_ so near?' he said.

A rush of Ghetto memories swamped the three artists as they tried to
work out the date of the Jewish New Year, that solemn period of
earthly trumpets and celestial judgments.

'Why, it must be to-day!' cried Rozenoffski suddenly. The trio looked
at one another with rueful humour. Why, the Ghetto could not even
realize such indifference to the heavenly tribunals so busily
decreeing their life-or-death sentences!

Barstein raised his glass. 'Here's a happy new year, anyhow!' he said.

The three men clinked glasses.

Rozenoffski drew out a hundred-lire note.

'Send that to the poor devil,' he said.

'Oho!' laughed Schneemann. 'You still believe "Charity delivers from
death!" Well, I must be saved too!' And he threw down another
hundred-lire note.

To the acutely analytical Barstein it seemed as if an old
superstitious thrill lay behind Schneemann's laughter as behind
Rozenoffski's donation.

'You will only make the _Luftmensch_ believe still more obstinately in
his Providence,' he said, as he gathered up the New Year