she was pretty near
as lusty then as she is now. I said if I had a hundred mothers I'd
never take one of 'em to see the Emperor and Empress at the Crystal
Palace again; and you may think a man can't afford it when he's got but
one mother--not if he'd ever so big an insurance on her." He stroked
his mother's shoulder affectionately, and chuckled a little at his own
humor.

"Your mother has been a widow a long while, perhaps," said Deronda,
seizing his opportunity. "That has made your care for her the more
needful."

"Ay, ay, it's a good many _yore-zeit_ since I had to manage for her and
myself," said Cohen quickly. "I went early to it. It's that makes you a
sharp knife."

"What does--what makes a sharp knife, father?" said Jacob, his cheek
very much swollen with sweet-cake.

The father winked at his guest and said, "Having your nose put on the
grindstone."

Jacob slipped from his chair with the piece of sweet-cake in his hand,
and going close up to Mordecai, who had been totally silent hitherto,
said, "What does that mean--putting my nose to the grindstone?"

"It means that you are to bear being hurt without making a noise," said
Mordecai, turning his eyes benignantly on the small face close to his.
Jacob put the corner of the cake into Mordecai's mouth as an invitation
to bite, saying meanwhile, "I shan't though," and keeping his eyes on
the cake to observe how much of it went in this act of generosity.
Mordecai took a bite and smiled, evidently meaning to please the lad,
and the little incident made them both look more lovable. Deronda,
however, felt with some vexation that he had taken little by his
question.

"I fancy that is the right quarter for learning," said he, carrying on
the subject that he might have an excuse for addressing Mordecai, to
whom he turned and said, "You have been a great student, I imagine?"

"I have studied," was the quiet answer. "And you?--You know German by
the book you were buying."

"Yes, I have studied in Germany. Are you generally engaged in
bookselling?" said Deronda.

"No; I only go to Mr. Ram's shop every day to keep it while he goes to
meals," said Mordecai, who was now looking at Deronda with what seemed
a revival of his original interest: it seemed as if the face had some
attractive indication for him which now neutralized the former
disappointment. After a slight pause, he said, "Perhaps you know
Hebrew?"

"I am sorry to say, not at all."

Mordecai's countenance