Israel Zangwill

“ Did he not incarnate the great gospel of the improvident lilies?
"You shall not go to Bursia," said Barstein in a burst of artistic fervour. "Thirteen people cannot possibly get there for fifteen pounds, or even twenty-five pounds, and for such a sum you could start a small business here."
Nehemiah stared at him. "God's messenger!" was all he could gasp. Then the tall, melancholy man raised his eyes to heaven and uttered a Hebrew voluntary, in which references to the ram whose horns were caught in the thicket to save Isaac's life were distinctly audible. ”

“ Schneemann protested comically. "No, no, that would be ungentlemanly—you read to us what the angel says."
"It is I that am the angel," Barstein laughed, as he tore open the letter. He read it aloud, breaking down in almost hysterical laughter at each eruption of adjectives from "the dictionary in distress." Rozenoffski and Schneemann rolled in similar spasms of mirth, and the Italians at the neighbouring tables, though entirely ignorant of the motive of the merriment, caught the contagion and rocked and shrieked with the mad foreigners. ”

“ 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 the head of Turkey. Not least characteristic Barstein found Nebemiah's gloating over his ancient ruin at the hands of Russia. ”

“ Angel of God,—I have the honour now to ask Your very kind humane merciful cordial nobility to assist me by Your clement philanthropical liberal relief in my very hard troublesome sorrows and worries, on which I suffer violently. I lost all my fortune and I am ruined by Russia. I am here at present without means and dental practice, and my restaurant is impeded with lack of a few frivolous pounds. ”

“ When our custom will become too large, we shall take over Bergman's great fashionable restaurant in the Whitechapel Road. He has already given me the option thereof—it is only two hundred pounds. And if your gentility——"
"But I cannot afford two hundred pounds," interrupted Barstein, alarmed.
"No, no; it is the Almighty who will afford that," said Nehemiah reassuringly. "From you I ask nothing."
"In that case," replied Barstein drily, "I must say I consider it an excellent plan. Your idea of building up from small foundations is most sensible—some of the young men may even have toothache ”

“ I have not been in the Russo-Jewish fund and do not know it where it is, and if it is in the Jewish shelter of Leman Street so I have no protection, no introduction, no recommendation for it. Poverty has very seldom a few clement humane good people and little friends. The people say Jacobs the dentist of Mansel Street is not a good man and so it is I tried it for he makes the impossible competition. I ask Your good genteel cordial nobility according to the universal good reputation of Your gracious goodness to reply me quick by some help now. ”

“ I am told by good many people, that the board of guardians is very seldom to rescue by aid the people, but very often is to find only faults, and vices and to make them guilty, I have nothing to do there, and in the Russian Jewish fund I found once Sir Asher Aaronsberg and he is not to me sympathical. ”

“ He was an Air-Man, floating on facile wings through the aether. True, he spoke of troublesome tribulations, but these were mainly dictionary distresses, felt most keenly in the rhapsody of literary composition. ”

“ The great competition is here in anything very vigorous. I have here no dental employment, no dental practice, no relations, no relief, no gain, no earning, no introduction, no protection, no recommendation, no money, no good friends, no good connecting acquaintance, in Russia I am ruined and I perish here, I am already desperate and despond entirely. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Four pounds would be a very present help—he could continue his London career. With fifteen pounds he was ready to start off anywhither. With thirty pounds he would end all his troubles in Jerusalem. Such nebulousness appeared to necessitate a personal visit; and the next day, finding himself in bad form, Barstein angrily bashed in a clay visage, clapped on his hat, and repaired to the Minories. But he looked in vain for either a dentist or a restaurant at No. ”