disturbance from the Jewish community, but her
husband's views had overruled hers, and she was now bound to uphold his.
Nevertheless, she hated anything of the kind.

"I simply said I knew nothing at all about it, except that he was your
physician. Even if I had known, I wouldn't have said more."

"There is no more to be said. Dr. Kemp and Ruth have become friendly
through their mutual interest in several poor patients; and in the
course of conversation one morning he heard that Ruth was anxious to
see this play, and had no escort. So he asked her, and her father saw
no objection to her going. It is a pity she didn't think to hand round a
written explanation to her different Jewish friends in the theatre."

"There you go, Aunt Esther! Jewish friends! I am sure that no matter how
indifferent Uncle is to such things, you must remember that our Jewish
girls never go alone to the theatre with any one outside of the family,
and certainly not with a Christian."

"What has that to do with it, so long as he is a gentleman?"

"Nothing. Only I didn't think you cared to have Ruth's name coupled with
one."

"No, nor with any one. But as I cannot control people's tongues--"

"Then I would not give them cause for wagging. Aunt Esther, is there
anything between Ruth and Dr. Kemp?"

"Jennie, you surprise and anger me. Do you know what you insinuate?"

"I can't help it. Either you are crazy, or ignorant of what is going on,
and I consider it my duty to enlighten you,"--a gossip's duties are all
away from home,--"unless, of course, you prefer to remain in blissful or
wilful ignorance."

"Speak out, please."

"Of course I knew you must have sanctioned her going last night, though,
I must confess, I still think you did very wrongly; but do you know
where she went this morning?"

Mrs. Levice was put out. She was enough of a Jewess to realize that
if you dislike Jewish comment, you must never step out of the narrowly
conventional Jewish pathway. That Ruth, her only daughter, should be
the subject of vulgar bandying was more bitter than wormwood to her; but
that her own niece could come with these wild conjectures incensed her
beyond endurance.

"I do know," she said in response to the foregoing question. "Ruth is
not a sneak,--she tells me everything; but her enterprises are so mild
that there would be no harm if she left them untold. She called on a
poor young girl who, after a long illness, desires pupils in Spanish."

"A