Montell

“ If I had only the Hudson’s Bay Company to contend with, I would have little fear for the outcome. With them it is largely a question of strategy. If there is any violence it will come from some zealot in their service, and we can hold our own against such. But Montell is an eel. He looms more threatening than the Company. ”

“ I cannot say what there was in Barreau’s tone that stirred Montell to the depths. It may have been that finding himself checkmated, dominated by a man he hated so sincerely, another fierce spasm of rage welled up within and ruptured some tautened blood-vessel. It may have been some weakness of the heart, common to fleshy men. ”

“ Montell himself became very friendly toward me. Bit by bit he drew from me the story of my wanderings, and shook his head over it, assuring me that Missouri river sternwheel men were a hard lot. Once he became reminiscent and spoke of his dead wife and her people with a poorly concealed pride in the alliance. His palpable satisfaction amused me. It seemed odd that a man of his rugged type, a hard-headed business buccaneer, should have that fatuous overestimation of wealth and so-called “blood.” ”

“ I’ve only been waiting till this spring and the end of this fur deal, so that we would have the wherewith to live, before I cornered her and fought it out.
“But I’ve waited too long, I’m afraid. You see, Montell has always been against me; that is, he has secretly been cutting the ground from under my feet since he learned that I wanted her. The old fool looks into his own heart and seeing perfect bliss in an alliance with ‘blood’ and ‘money,’ straightway determines that these two will insure her future happiness—oh, I can read him, like an open book. ”

“ Montella’s lineage is more ancient than my own, and there is no member of my family who has ever done so much to promote the general welfare of his country as did the late Sir Julian Montella for England. Lionel himself is in every way worthy of respect; and the brilliance of his university and parliamentary careers has proved that a more gifted man of his age cannot be found. ”

“ Since your last night’s adventure with her, many troubled thoughts have been in her mind; your stealing to bed has put her in a cross humour; though I suppose it is only shame for being embraced by you before marriage.’—This amazed Montellion, who to know more of it withdrew, and changing habit with a neighbouring friar, he crossed to Launela by a nearer way and told her he was the friar she was going for; this she believed, and went back with him, and found Palian ready to enter, which they did altogether. ”

“ Montella is lucky in winning your love. It is your love which casts the roseate hue over the Jewish people, dear, and you see I do not possess the same incentive. Still, I will do my best, and if I marry Athelstan Moore, I promise you that I shall not lack the courage to voice your opinions. I would rather remain your friend than become your enemy, and the idea of thwarting the Premier pleases me mightily. It is like David with his little sling and stone attacking the formidable Goliath, or the tiny mouse gnawing the rope which great men cannot break. ”

“ He ought never to have taken a Christian wife.”
“Of course not,” assented the doctor complacently. “Your sentiments are most admirable, dear lady; but Montella, though a man, is human, and has a heart. It is impossible to expect him to be a mere patriotic machine; and even the greatest patriots in history have had a feminine angel somewhere in the background. Ach, the women! But Ben Yetzel was a beast; it ought never to have been necessary to send Lady Patricia away. However, whats done is done. Montella must make the best of a bad business, and live it down.” ”

“ He is an adept at catching one in one’s words. He loves to condemn people out of their own mouths; it is a form of amusement in which he delights.”
“You may rely on me to be discreet,” returned Montella, with a smile. “I can be as stolid as the Sphinx when I please.”
They parted for the night, and the young man went to his room with a light step. To his surprise he found Patricia still half dressed, her willowy figure enveloped in a loose silken wrapper. Sitting with her elbows resting on the ledge of the open casement, she looked like some frail sprite in the light of the moon. ”

“ Montella replied, noticing the look of concern on her face. “If it comes to being false to Judaism or leaving the country, Lady Patricia and I will have to go. But I will not sell the Abbey except to some good and responsible man, and you need have no fear that you will suffer by the change. Your house belongs to you, nurse, and no one shall rob you of it. ”

“ It was while they were on their peregrinations through the village that they came across one Anne Whiteside, who had once been Lionel’s nurse. They happened to meet her just outside her own dwelling, and she insisted on their entering to partake of tea. The Montellas, nothing loath, stepped into her little parlour, and settled themselves comfortably on the stiff horse-hair sofa. It was a pleasant little room in spite of its plainness, and everything in it was scrupulously clean. ”

“ Do you not think me wise, dear Lady Montella?”
“From the worldly point of view, perhaps; but I would rather have you cling to your precious heritage, my dear, especially just now, when people are so ready to seize on anything which can be considered discreditable to us. My son is doing his utmost to serve his country, and to prove himself a worthy Jew. Even those who are the enemies of our people are forced to honour him. I should like you, in the same way, to prove yourself a worthy Jewess, and so raise the standard in public opinion. What do you say, Raie?” ”

“ Are you Montellion? to whom Palian made no answer, but asked why she enquired? It is replied she, to discover a matter of importance to you; a noble lady is in love with you. At this he started up, and entreated to know her name.—It is no less said she, than the princess Praxantia; at which name Palian was almost in raptures; so it was agreed he should be entertained in her chamber, where no light should be had to discover her blushes.—Palian in the mean time sounding Montellion, and finding him ignorant, resolved to venture ”

“ Lady Montella rejoined, feeling a trifle hurt that he had not come straight back to her. “It will do him no harm to suffer a little; he is a man, and men are made strong through suffering. Ah, if I were only a man, what would I not do for my people, what would I not undergo for them! Years ago I determined that what I could not do should be accomplished by my son ”

“ I would not marry Lionel Montella, even if he asked me, because I do not consider myself fitted to become his wife. As he will not ask me, however, I shall be saved the trouble of declining. Have you not heard that he is engaged to Lady Patricia Byrne?”
“What!” Mrs. Emanuel sat bolt upright. “This is news, indeed. Who is Lady Patricia What’s-her-name? A Jewess?”
“No; a—Christian—the daughter of Earl Torrens—gloriously beautiful, and with a face like a Greuze. She is far more suitable as a wife for Mr. Montella than a plain, insignificant little creature like myself could ever be.” ”

“ Palian set up a tent for the entertainment of stangers, to which Philotheta and Praxantia came in disguise; and Montellion coming into the inner part of the tent, where Praxantia was sitting alone, she enticed him to lust, which he refusing, her love turned into hatred, and she made a great outcry; at which her brother Thetus came in, and would have run Montellion through, had not Philotheta, who had concealed herself in the tent, cried out, Treason! Murder! the King’s son will be killed; which gave Montellion time to draw, and he soon laid him dead ”

“ As he entered the room two 30large blackbirds flew towards him, and encircled his head. The footman waved them away; and flapping their wings, they returned to their aviary in the embrasure formed by the window. Then the manservant retired, to leave Montella alone with the Earl.
He was a man just bordering on middle age, but his bald head and stooping figure gave him the appearance of the aged. He was bending over a tank, with the sleeves of his little velvet jacket turned up. His dress-coat had been carelessly slung over the back of a chair. ”

“ It is impossible for an Englishman like yourself, for instance, to beat your breast like the Polish Jew.”
Montella nodded. “You are a sensible man, doctor,” he said, with enthusiasm. “But what do you advise?”
“I hardly know. The bulk of the people in Palestine are with Ben Yetzel to a man. It is only the few emancipated, deep-thinking men like ourselves who have any thought of rebellion. For the present we must just watch and wait to see how things go. You will see Ben Yetzel, of course, while you are here?”
“My people in Haifa expect it of me. ”

“ Besides, she could not marry him whilst he retained his pseudonym, and neither in Palestine nor England could they be united under the name of Montella. Looking into the future, she foresaw difficulties so immense as to be almost insuperable, but she could not bear the thought of ever having to give up the man she loved. No sacrifice would be too great so far as she personally was concerned ”

“ I am sure you need not be alarmed, Lionel. The Bill will never be carried; it cannot, while there is justice in England. What man in his senses would counsel intoleration in these days? This is the age of freedom—of freedom in religious matters most of all.”
“It is not the Jewish religion that Moore objects to so much as the Jewish race,” Montella replied, in a dull voice. “He is as rabid as it is possible for a Jew-baiter to be, and he has, unfortunately, such a convincing manner that there are few who can withstand him. ”

“ He dried his hands and paced the room, overcome by an unwonted nervousness. The Earl had apparently not noticed the latter part of his speech, for he went on toning the prints with imperturbability. Montella, however, intended him to notice it, and after stalking up and down for some minutes, decided to take the bull by the horns.
“Lord Torrens,” he began, feeling more agitated than when he had given his maiden speech in the House, “I have come here to-night to ask you a question on the answer to which my whole life’s happiness depends. ”

“ But the poor woman, having travelled for many miles, laid down the child at the edge of a forest, while she went to seek some food, was devoured by a lion, and the child left to desperate fortune; but providence ordered it so that Cothanus, a noble Assyrian, hunting with his lady in the same forest, the letter hearing a child cry, went and took it up, and named it Montellion.
Constantia was in danger of her life by the Queen, who had slain the infant if she had not discovered whose it was: and Helion finding she was married to Pericles, was resolved to punish her ”

“ Your poor father trusted to me to do all in my power to keep up the honour of the family; to keep it—as it has ever been till now—purely Jewish. Do you think that if Patricia takes the boy she will not educate him in her faith? Of course she will; she cannot do otherwise, whatever promises she may make.”
“But he is so young,” urged Montella, with reproach. “You forget that he is only a baby. Why not let Patricia have the comfort of him until he is old enough to be taught? It will be several years before he is able to understand anything of religious matters. ”

“ She is a Christian; and for the wife of the Governor of Haifa to be a Christian is a scandalous thing.”
“She is not a Christian!” denied Montella, with heat. “She renounced her Christianity before she became my wife. Ask her, and she will tell you; she does not believe in Christ.”
Again the appeal was made to the girl herself. Patricia felt the eyes of the room upon her, and the colour rushed to her cheeks. With beating heart she gazed almost piteously at her inexorable accusers. Oh, Lionel, most devoted of husbands, most foolish of men! ”

“ Patricia nodded.
“Yes. You see Lady Montella is very nice, and one of the kindest and most religious women in the world, but her rigid Judaism is very difficult to get on with. To be honest, I am glad that she is making her home in Jerusalem; it is the best place for her under the circumstances.”
“I wish I could send my mother-in-law to Jerusalem!” remarked the Princess feelingly. “She is always doing her utmost to upset my poor Karl. We have decided to stay away from Felsen-Schvoenig as long as we possibly can; but if we could ship her off to the Holy Land we might be able to go back.” ”

“ There were people coming and going all the afternoon, and she was obliged to have her tea in solitude. After it was over she was sent for to Lady Montella’s boudoir.
4. Professional watchers by the dead.
She obeyed the summons without delay, and clung to her foster-aunt with the tears welling up in her eyes. When the first outburst of emotion was over, Lady Montella asked her if she would like to go home until after the funeral; it would be so very dull for her in the house of mourning. Raie conquered her first impulse and decided to remain. ”

“ Palestine, and was at present in Haifa, so that she was not entirely destitute of friends.
“The Princess is late,” she remarked, as Lionel took a seat at her side. “She said she would come here to see the fun.”
“Perhaps her carriage has some difficulty in getting through the crowd,” Montella replied. “I am just wondering if this carnival idea of Engelmacher’s is a wise one. It means practically setting the people loose.”
“I rather like the idea,” Patricia said thoughtfully. “The people have had such a serious time of it that it will do them good to relax for once. ”