“Come on, Offutt!” whispered Verba huskily. “Leave him taking his call.”
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CHAPTER VII
FIRST CORINTHIANS
CHAP. XIII., v. 4
Since this must deal in great part with the Finkelstein family and what charity did for them, I began the task by seeking in the pages of an invaluable book called Ten Thousand Familiar Quotations for a line that suitably might serve as the text to my chapter. Delving there I came upon abundant material, all of it more or less appropriate to our present purpose. There were revealed at least a half a dozen extracts from the works of writers of an established standing that might be made to apply. For instance, Wordsworth, an English poet of the Early Victorian Era, that period which gave so much of rhythmic thought to Britain and so much of antirhythmic furniture to us, is credited with having said:
The charities that soothe and heal and bless
Are scattered at the feet of man like flowers.
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Now that passage, at first blush, appeared exactly to fit the Finkelsteins. Most certainly charities were scattered at their feet and likewise showered on their heads.
However, before making a definite choice, I went deeper into this handy volume. As a result, I exhumed an expression attributed to Pope—not one of the Roman Popes, but Pope, Alex. (b. 1688; d. 1744)—to the effect that
In faith and hope the world will disagree,
But all mankind’s concern is charity.