Part 8 (1/2)

Avice went to the door, unlatched it, and peered forth into the night.

”Yes, there seems to be no noise in the direction of your quarter now.

I think you will be safe. But if you feel uneasy, you can stay the night in this room.”

”No, thank you,” replied Hester gratefully. ”I will not put you to that trouble. You have been very good to me. May the G.o.d of Israel bless you with His blessing!”

Avice felt rather uneasy. She had always been taught that Jews were idolaters, and she never imagined that Hester could be blessing her in the name of the one living G.o.d. She fancied that the benediction of some horrible Moloch was being called down upon her, and feared it accordingly. But she answered kindly, for unkindness was not in her simple, loving, G.o.d-fearing heart. Hester went out, and latched the door behind her.

”I am glad she is gone,” said Bertha. ”I could not feel easy while she was here. Yet I could not have borne to turn her away without asking you if you would take her in, Aunt. I hope we have not done wrong!”

”I hope not, indeed,” replied Avice, who was not quite easy in her own mind. ”I wonder why it should be so wrong to pity Jews, and be kind to them. It looks so different from all the other commands of our Lord.”

Different, most truly! But such causes for wonder were likely to be frequent enough, so long as men allowed the traditions of men to run alongside of the infallible Word of G.o.d. And they had no power to read for themselves the real words of the Lord, who had said to the father of all Israel, ”I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee.”

But the influx of visitors was not yet over for the evening. Hester had not been gone long when a heavy rap came on the door. ”Come in!” said Avice; and Uncle Dan appeared.

”Could you spare a chap a seat, think ye?” said he. ”I've come for a bit o' peace. We've got thunder and lightning and rain up at smithy.

_She's_ thunder, and Ankaret's lightning, and Mildred's rain, for she's a-crying: and El'nor and me, we 're wet to skin wi' 't. So I put my cap on and come here to dry me a bit.”

Avice laughed. ”You're always welcome, Uncle Dan, and I hope you know it,” said she. ”Bertha, my maid, bake a short-cake for thy father.

There's enough warmth in the bake-stone.”

”Short-cake's good,” said Dan, ”and I'll not go to deny it; but love and peace are better. _She_ can make short-cake wi' anybody. It's th' jam as goes wi' 't I don't like. She makes it so tart, and puts so much on.

Sure, if th' fire had went out, she'd easy bake a cake a-top of her temper, and so could Ankaret. Eh, it do take a whole hive of honey to sweeten some folks. There's bees in this world, for sure; but there's many a waps to every bee.”

In the present day, ”waps” is considered a vulgar way of p.r.o.nouncing the word; but it was correct English at the time of which I am writing.

”Wasp” is really the corrupt p.r.o.nunciation. In the same way, they said ”claps” where we say ”clasp.”

”Uncle Dan, I sometimes wonder you do not come and live in Lincoln town.”

”Dost thee? Think I haven't noise enough at smithy?”

”But I think you would make friends here, and find things pleasanter.”

”Humph!” said Dan, laying a big, hardened brown hand upon each knee.

”It's very plain to me, Avice, as thou doesn't live in a house where everything thou does turns to hot water. Me make friends! She'd have 'em out o' th' door afore they'd a-comed in. They wouldn't come twice, I reckon--nay, they wouldn't. That'd be end o' my friend-making, Avice.”

”Uncle Dan, did you never try standing up to Aunt Filomena?”

”Did I never try _what_? Ay did I, once--and got knocked down as sharp as ninepins. Standing up! I'd love to see thee try it. Thou'd not be right end up long.”

Bertha had gone upstairs, or Avice perhaps would not have spoken so plainly, though the smith himself had long pa.s.sed the stage of ignoring his wife's failings in the presence of her children.

”But you are her husband, Uncle Dan.”

”I reckon I know that Thou would, if she'd plucked as much of thy whiskers out as she has o' mine.”

”And wives ought to obey their husbands.”