 A Real New England Girl by Anna I. Parsons 1. The Shower 2. Oxford County 3. The Stranger and the Girl 4. The Youth and the Girl 5. Pansy and Richard Go Trading 6. The Marvelous Storyteller 7. The Dinner 8. The The Minister Comes for Tea 9. Pansy's Father 10. Pansy and Her Mother 11. Poland Springs 12. The Birthday Cake 13. Ned Patterson Comes for a Visit 14. The Blue Berrying Party 15. The Beginning of Wisdom 16. The Tempted and the Penitent 17. The Concert 18. Stanley's Ride 19. The Bench by the Wayside 20. The Banker and the Widow 21. The Bag of Nuts 22. How They Kept Thanksgiving at Little Farm 23. Hardly a Merry Christimas 24. A Call Down and a Caller 25. The Pride of Mrs. Bradford 26. A Happy New Year 27. Amusement and Winter Sport 28. Kim 29. Richard, the Lion Hearted 30. A Tour of the White Mountains 31. Talking Over the Trip with Henry Bright 32. Thoughts That Lie Too Deep for Words 33. Economics 34. His Toast 35. The Busy Haunts of Man 36. Christmas in New York 37. The Last Night of Their Visit 38. The Language Understood by All 39. Sugaring Off 40. Correspondence 41. Commencement 42. Conclusion Afterward     |
Thoughts That Lie Too Deep for Words "The man that hath a tongue, I say, is no man, If with his tongue he cannot win a woman." Shakespeare If Pansy's lines were not to be commended for their lyric quality, they at least rang true as to the condition of mind of Richard and herself on the matter of spending the Christmas holidays with Stanley in New York. They truly did not know whether they wanted to be away from home at such an important season. The mountain trip had proved that they could remain away for a week without a serious attack of nostalgia, but, like the man who rows the winning stroke, they were not sure they wanted to risk such another test of endurance. Constant association with Stanley had strengthened the bond of friendship between them, and they were ready to do much to please him, but they looked upon the invitation as a benefit intended only for themselves and one which they were at liberty to accept or reject without disturbing the happiness of any one. Mrs. Winthrop had said that she would not make another trip to Maine in the winter time, and unless Pansy and Richard would come to New York, Stanley knew that a very long time must elapse ere he would see them again. September came and the last afternoon that the Winthrops would spend at their summer home, and still he had received no encouragement in the matter. To importune acceptance was not his way, but he longed for some assurance that they would come for personal reasons as well as for the pleasure of showing them about the city. On that last afternoon, Stanley and Pansy sat on the bench at the half-way tree with the warm sun shine streaming obliquely across their shoulders. The large apple orchard of Mr. Parish, the rolling fields, the forest tinged here and there with color, and Singepole Mountain and Number Four Hill were all within range of their beauty-loving eyes. Kim lay in the warm grass at Pansy's feet. The matter that was giving each the most concern was the coming separation, yet neither alluded to it, and they talked on many other subjects with apparent relish, until, by a curious turn of ideas, they drifted to a theme touching on the widest scattered nation of the earth. "Did you ever see the home of Shylock and Jessica when you were in Venice?" she asked him with a beam of fun in her eyes. "No, no dwelling was pointed out to me as such, but I did cross both over and under the Rialto Bridge on the Grand Canal many times. Near it is the little church of San Giacomo di Rialto which tradition says is the oldest church in Venice. The district around this church was the center of commercial life of the old republic, and it was here near the bridge, and not on it, that Antonio and Shylock transacted their business. On the church is a Latin inscription which translated into English means 'Around this temple let the merchant's law be just, his weight true, and his covenant faithful.' "How strange to have a market around a church! I should think they ought to respect it enough to let the grass grow and a few shade trees and to keep everything neat and trim." "Your ideas of church environment are modern. I suspect the Venetian merchants showed considerable advance in civilization when they confined their activities to the outside of the church, for you will recall in A.D. 33 how Christ went into the temple at Jerusalem and cast out all that sold and bought, overthrew the tables of the money-changers and seats of them that sold doves, and said, 'It is written My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves'." "But, Stanley, only Jews were allowed to enter the temple; Gentiles were forbidden on pain of death." "That lets us out then from participating in the desecration. Possibly this nefarious example of the elect accounts for the custom which prevailed in Venice of using the area in front of the church for the chief market and place for holding auctions, for the Venetians were very tolerant of the exiled Jews. When the market in front of the church became too much of an obstruction, because of the many dealers who came to attend the auctions, the Great Council ordered that the space at the rear be paved, and the stalls of the merchants were transferred there. At the same time, leave was taken to use the piazza, or loggia as it is called, on Saturdays as formerly." "Did the term 'Merchant Prince' originate in Venice?" "I don't know, but it might easily have done so, for Venice was known as the 'Merchant Queen' and her merchants were very rich and powerful and outshone princes in their splendor. Though of the commonality, the Patricians were glad to patronize them in times of need. In the colonnade of San Giacomo is the famous planispehre showing the route of Venetian commerce over the world. Their treasure ships were called argosies. You will recall it was the failure of Antonio's argosies to come properly to port that caused him to default in payment of the loan to Shylock who then insisted on the penalty stipulated in the bond." "And a woman's wit save Antonio when money failed to do so." "Yes, just as it has saved many unfortunates who didn't have Shakespeare for a biographer." "Are there many Jews in Venice today?" "Yes, very many; in fact, it is said, they are gradually getting possession of the city, but I saw none of the type of Shylock, although I visited both the old and new Ghetto." "Ruth says Jessica showed herself a true descendant of a man who would cry 'My ducats and my daughter!' when she said to Lorenzo on the night of their elopement 'I will make fast the doors, and gild myself with some more ducats, and be with you straight.' " "It was not commendable in the fair Jessica. I remember in class even the Hebrew fellows condemned her for her wantonness." "But she was very sweet and lovely when she talked with Lorenzo that night at Bellmont." "She had left all but the purloined ducats and some jewels to marry Lorenzo, a Christian, and of a race hated by her father. Placed in her worst light, she must at least have possessed some traits that were commendable and typical of her sex, just as indeed her father possessed traits that were commendable and typical of his race. Love of thrift in the Hebrews is a characteristic that has often led to rapacity, and they have ever lacked perception. The first has caused them to be despised among whatever people they have settled, and the second has caused them to lose much that would uplift and beautify their character. I do not mean that they are not charitably inclined, or cognizant of the needs of others. They give to them that lack, not because it is a virtue to do so, but because it means value to the person who receives. That a man like Jesus Christ would voluntarily die in humiliation and anguish to redeem the world is beyond their comprehension, and so they are still looking for the Messiah to come and redeem Israel." The sun had been dropping lower and lower and the shadows on Singepole growing deeper and deeper as they talked. A slight puff of wind stirred the leaves and suddenly reminded Pansy that the day was declining and that supper time was near at hand. "I must go, Stanley," she said, getting up, "though I wish for once Father Time would stand still so that my greedy ears might be satiated." "I am afraid I shall often want Father Time to turn backward unless you give me some assurance that you and Richard will come to New York and visit us this winter when we can find other subjects of interest on which to converse." She paused and looked downward for a moment. "Mother and Richard must decide that matter. Speaking for myself, I can only say, in spite of the fact that New York is a long way from home and mother, I am beginning to hope we may have that privilege." Click Here for Chapter 33 |