adually, by secret conversations, daily renewed, Joseph, fired with
enthusiasm and visions of the glory that would redound upon him in the
community--for he was now a candidate for the dignity of
treasurer--won Uriel back to Judaism. And when the faith of the revert
was quite fixed, Joseph made great talk thereof, and interceded with
the Rabbis.

Uriel Acosta was given a document of confession of his errors to sign;
he promised to live henceforward as a true Jew, and the ban was
removed. On the Sabbath he went to the synagogue, and was called up to
read in the Law. The elders came to shake him by the hand; a wave of
emotion traversed the congregation. Uriel, mentally blinking at all
this novel sunshine, had moments of forgetfulness of his sardonic
hypocrisy, thrilled to be in touch with humanity again, and moved by
its forgiving good-will. The half-circle of almond and lemon trees
from Portugal, planted in gaily-painted tubs before the Holy Ark,
swelled his breast with tender, tearful memories of youth and the
sun-lands. And as Ianthe's happy eyes smiled upon him from the
gallery, the words of the Prophet Joel sang in his ears: "And I will
restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten."

It was a glad night when Dom Diego and Ianthe sat again at his table,
religiously victualled this time, and with them his beloved brother
Joseph, not the least happy of the guests in the reconciliation with
Uriel and the near prospect of the treasuryship. What a handsome
creature he was! thought Uriel fondly. How dignified in manners, yet
how sprightly in converse!--no graven lines of suffering on his brow,
no gray in his hair. The old wine gurgled, the old memories glowed.
Joseph was let into the secret of the engagement--which was not to be
published for some months--but was too sure of the part he had played
to suspect he had been played with. He sang the Hebrew grace
jubilantly after the meal, and Ianthe's sweet voice chimed in happily.
Ere the brothers parted, Uriel had extracted a promise that little
Daniel should be lent him for a few days to crown his happiness and
brighten the great lonely house for the coming of the bride.

XII

Uriel Acosta sat at dinner with little Daniel, feasting his eyes on the
fresh beauty of the boy, whose prattle had made the last two days
delightful. Daniel had been greatly exercised to find that his great
big uncle could not talk Dutch, and that he must talk Portuguese--which
was still k