Children of the Ghetto

'Well, it's like going to funerals every day. It's all country all round about, with trees and flowers and birds. Why, I've helped to make hay in the autumn.'

Esther drew a sigh of ecstasy. 'It's like a book,' she said.

'Books!' he said. 'We've got hundreds and hundreds, a whole library-Dickens, Mayne Reid, George Eliot, Captain Marryat, Thackeray-I've read them all.'

'Oh, Benjy!' said Esther, clasping her hands in admiration, both of the library and her brother. 'I wish I were you.'

'Well, you could be me easily enough.'

'How?' said Esther, eagerly.

'Why, we have a girls' department, too. You're an orphan as much as me. You get father to enter you as a candidate.'

'Oh, how could I, Benjy?' said Esther, her face falling. 'What would become of Solomon and Ikey and little Sarah?'

'They've got a father, haven't they? and a grandmother?'

'Father can't do washing and cooking, you silly boy! And grandmother's too old.'

'Well, I call it a beastly shame. Why can't father earn a living and give out the washing? He never has a penny to bless himself with.'

'It isn't his fault, Benjy. He tries hard. I'm sure he often grieves that he's so poor that he can't afford the railway fare to visit you on visiting days. That time he did go he only got the money by selling a work-box I had for a prize. But he often speaks about you.'

'Well, I don't grumble at his not coming,' said Benjamin. 'I forgive him that because you know he's not very presentable, is he, Esther?'

Esther was silent. 'Oh, well, everybody knows he's poor. They don't expect father to be a gentleman.'

'Yes, but he might look decent. Does he still wear those two beastly little curls at the side of his head? Oh, I did hate it when I was at school here, and he used to come to see the master about something. Some of the boys had such respectable fathers, it was quite a pleasure to see them come in and overawe the teacher. Mother used to be as bad, coming in with a shawl over her head.'

'Yes, Benjy, but she used to bring us in bread and butter when there had been none in the house at breakfast-time. Don't you remember, Benjy?'

'Oh, yes, I remember. We've been through some beastly bad times, haven't we, Esther? All I say is you wouldn't like father coming in before all the girls in your class, would you, now?'

Esther blushed. 'There is no occasion for him to come,' she said evasively.

'Well, I know what I shall do!' said Benjamin decisively; 'I'm going to be a very rich man-'

'Are you, Benjy?' inquired Esther.

'Yes, of course. I'm going to write books-like Dickens and those fellows. Dickens made a pile of money, just by writing down plain every-day things going on around.'

'But you can't write!'

Benjamin laughed a superior laugh, 'Oh, can't I? What about Our Own, eh?'

'What's that?'

'That's our journal. I edit it. Didn't I tell you about it? Yes, I'm running a story through it, called 'The Soldier's Bride,' all about life in Afghanistan.'

'Oh, where could I get a number?'

'You can't get a number. It ain't printed, stupid. It's all copied by hand, and we've only got a few copies. If you came down, you could see it.'

'Yes, but I can't come down,' said Esther, with tears in her eyes.

'Well, never mind. You'll see it some day. Well, what was I telling you? Oh, yes! About my prospects. You see, I'm going in for a scholarship in a few months, and everybody says I shall get it. Then, perhaps I might go to a higher school, perhaps to Oxford or Cambridge!'

'And row in the boat-race!' said Esther, flushing with excitement.

'No, bother the boat-race. I'm going in for Latin and Greek. I've begun to learn French already. So I shall know three foreign languages.'

'Four!' said Esther, 'you forget Hebrew!'

'Oh, of course, Hebrew. I don't reckon Hebrew. Everybody knows Hebrew. Hebrew's no good to any one. What I want is something that'll get me on in the world and enable me to write my books.'

'But Dickens-did he know Latin or Greek?' asked Esther.

'No, he didn't,' said Benjamin proudly. 'That's just where I shall have the pull of him. Well, when I've got rich I shall buy father a new suit of clothes and a high hat-it is so beastly cold here, Esther, just feel my hands, like ice!-and I shall make him live with grandmother in a decent room, and give him an allowance so that he can study beastly big books all day long-does he still take a week to read a page? And Sarah and Isaac and Rachel shall go to a proper boarding school, and Solomon-how old will he be then?'

Esther looked puzzled. 'Oh, but suppose it takes you ten years getting famous! Solomon will be nearly twenty.'

'It can't take me ten years. But never mind! We shall see what is to be done with Solomon when the time comes. As for you-'

'Well, Benjy,' she said, for his imagination was breaking down.

'I'll give you a dowry and you'll get married. See!' he concluded triumphantly.

'Oh, but suppose I shan't want to get married?'

'Nonsense-every girl wants to get married. I overheard Old Four-Eyes say all the teachers in the girls' department were dying to marry him. I've got several sweethearts already, and I dare say you have.' He looked at her quizzingly.

'No, dear,' she said earnestly. 'There's only Levi Jacobs, Reb Shemuel's son, who's been coming round sometimes to play with Solomon, and brings me almond-rock. But I don't care for him-at least not in that way. Besides, he's quite above us.'

'Oh, is he? Wait till I write my novels!'

'I wish you'd write them now. Because then I should have something to read-Oh!'

'What's the matter?'

'I've lost my book. What have I done with my little brown book?'

'Didn't you drop it on that beastly dog?'

'Oh, did I? People'll tread on it on the stairs. Oh dear! I'll run down and get it. But don't call Bobby beastly, please.'

'Why not? Dogs are beasts, aren't they?'

Esther puzzled over the retort as she flew downstairs, but could find no reply. She found the book, however, and that consoled her.

'What have you got hold of?' replied Benjamin, when she returned.

'Oh, nothing! It wouldn't interest you.'

'All books interest me,' announced Benjamin with dignity.

Esther reluctantly gave him the book. He turned over the pages carelessly, then his face grew serious and astonished.

'Esther!' he said, 'how did you come by this?'

'One of the girls gave it me in exchange for a stick of slate pencil. She said she got it from the missionaries- she went to their night-school for a lark and they gave her it and a pair of boots as well.'

'And you have been reading it?'

'Yes, Benjy,' said Esther meekly.

'You naughty girl! Don't you know the New Testament is a wicked book? Look here! There's the word 'Christ' on nearly every page, and the word 'Jesus' on every other. And you haven't even scratched them out! Oh, if any one was to catch you reading this book!'

'I don't read it in school hours,' said the little girl deprecatingly.

'But you have no business to read it at all!'

'Why not?' she said doggedly. 'I like it. It seems just as interesting as the Old Testament, and there are