gave it more than the brightness of Western
freedom amid the despotisms of the East. Then our race shall have an
organic centre, a heart and brain to watch and guide and execute; the
outraged Jew shall have a defense in the court of nations, as the
outraged Englishman of America. And the world will gain as Israel
gains. For there will be a community in the van of the East which
carries the culture and the sympathies of every great nation in its
bosom: there will be a land set for a halting-place of enmities, a
neutral ground for the East as Belgium is for the West. Difficulties? I
know there are difficulties. But let the spirit of sublime achievement
move in the great among our people, and the work will begin."

"Ay, we may safely admit that, Mordecai," said Pash. "When there are
great men on 'Change, and high-flying professors converted to your
doctrine, difficulties will vanish like smoke."

Deronda, inclined by nature to take the side of those on whom the
arrows of scorn were falling, could not help replying to Pash's
outfling, and said--

"If we look back to the history of efforts which have made great
changes, it is astonishing how many of them seemed hopeless to those
who looked on in the beginning.

"Take what we have all heard and seen something of--the effort after
the unity of Italy, which we are sure soon to see accomplished to the
very last boundary. Look into Mazzini's account of his first yearning,
when he was a boy, after a restored greatness and a new freedom to
Italy, and of his first efforts as a young man to rouse the same
feelings in other young men, and get them to work toward a united
nationality. Almost everything seemed against him; his countrymen were
ignorant or indifferent, governments hostile, Europe incredulous. Of
course the scorners often seemed wise. Yet you see the prophecy lay
with him. As long as there is a remnant of national consciousness, I
suppose nobody will deny that there may be a new stirring of memories
and hopes which may inspire arduous action."

"Amen," said Mordecai, to whom Deronda's words were a cordial. "What is
needed is the leaven--what is needed is the seed of fire. The heritage
of Israel is beating in the pulses of millions; it lives in their veins
as a power without understanding, like the morning exultation of herds;
it is the inborn half of memory, moving as in a dream among writings on
the walls, which it sees dimly but cannot divide into speech. Let the