“The God of us all will bless you for this day’s work. Good-bye. It is never too late to mend. Thank God! it is never too late to mend!”
Helen, pale, but now strong in her new resolution and hope, left the humble shop and went out into the street, while the shoemaker went to a niche in a corner, and drew aside a curtain which had covered the sacred Shema, muttering, as he did so:
“Hear ye, O Israel. There is but one God”—and ending with a fervent prayer for the saving of the soul in peril who had just left there. And he wist not that his face shone.
CHAPTER III.
As Helen Pierson disappeared from their sight, Loney turned to Morris Goldberg, saying:
“Mr. Goldberg, how can you help that poor lady when you are so poor yourself? It takes a lot of money, don’t it, to go West? I heard some of the boys at the asylum say it takes more ’n fifteen dollars, and that’s an awful lot. That is more than you have, isn’t it?”
“Vell, Loney, somedimes you make me t’ink you vos got more sense as meinselluf. You say such schmart t’ings, but dot’s a goot investment, Loney, alvays. Der good Gott, He pays it back. For efery dollar I gif avay in charity I gets me two und a halluf back again. I haf vorked hart und safed, und so I will help her.”
“But I am a burden on you, ain’t I?”
“Burten noding! Vot do you got? A place to sleep, mit somedimes somedings good to eat, und somedimes nodings but preat und milluk. If you vos not here I should haf to pay a poy t’ree dollars a veek. Make you no mistake on dot. I am a peezness man, mit mine eye open for der matsuma.”
While Loney was trying to ponder over this statement, Dora came dancing into the room, holding out a tiny blue baby’s shoe, saying, joyfully: