The old man’s trembling hand smoothed the soft little tendrils of hair that had escaped from their pins. He stifled a groan as he was thus disarmed.
“And what,” she asked, her sweet eyes holding his as she stepped back, “what do you think of Herbert Kemp, M. D.? Will you be proud of your son-in-law, Father darling?”
Levice’s hand fell suddenly on her shoulder. He schooled himself to smile quietly upon her.
“Dr. Kemp is a great friend of mine. He is a gentleman whom all the world honors, not only for his professional worth, but for his manly qualities. I am not surprised that you love him, nor yet that he loves you—except for one thing.”
“And that?” she asked, smiling confidently at him.
“Child, you are a Jewess; Dr. Kemp is a Christian.”
And still his daughter smiled trustingly.
“What difference can that make, since we love each other?” she asked.
“Will you believe me, Ruth, when I say that all I desire is your happiness?”
“Father, I know it.”