y goodness has been great to the former generations,
even so may it be to the latter." Then after pausing a little he began,
"Young man, I rejoice that I was not yet set off again on my travels,
and that you are come in time for me to see the image of my friend as
he was in his youth--no longer perverted from the fellowship of your
people--no longer shrinking in proud wrath from the touch of him who
seemed to be claiming you as a Jew. You come with thankfulness yourself
to claim the kindred and heritage that wicked contrivance would have
robbed you of. You come with a willing soul to declare, 'I am the
grandson of Daniel Charisi.' Is it not so?"

"Assuredly it is," said Deronda. "But let me say that I should at no
time have been inclined to treat a Jew with incivility simply because
he was a Jew. You can understand that I shrank from saying to a
stranger, 'I know nothing of my mother.'"

"A sin, a sin!" said Kalonymos, putting up his hand and closing his
eyes in disgust. "A robbery of our people--as when our youths and
maidens were reared for the Roman Edom. But it is frustrated. I have
frustrated it. When Daniel Charisi--may his Rock and his Redeemer guard
him!--when Daniel Charisi was a stripling and I was a lad little above
his shoulder, we made a solemn vow always to be friends. He said, 'Let
us bind ourselves with duty, as if we were sons of the same mother.'
That was his bent from first to last--as he said, to fortify his soul
with bonds. It was a saying of his, 'Let us bind love with duty; for
duty is the love of law; and law is the nature of the Eternal.' So we
bound ourselves. And though we were much apart in our later life, the
bond has never been broken. When he was dead, they sought to rob him;
but they could not rob him of me. I rescued that remainder of him which
he had prized and preserved for his offspring. And I have restored to
him the offspring they had robbed him of. I will bring you the chest
forthwith."

Kalonymos left the room for a few minutes, and returned with a clerk
who carried the chest, set it down on the floor, drew off a leather
cover, and went out again. It was not very large, but was made heavy by
ornamental bracers and handles of gilt iron. The wood was beautifully
incised with Arabic lettering.

"So!" said Kalonymos, returning to his seat. "And here is the curious
key," he added, taking it from a small leathern bag. "Bestow it
carefully. I trust you are methodic and wary." He gave