about six months later, when barstein had utterly forgotten the episode, he received another letter whose phraseology instantly recalled everything.
'to the most honourable competent authentical illustrious authority and universal celebrious dignity of the very famous sculptor.
'3a, the minories, e.
'dear sir,
'i have the honour and pleasure now to render the real and sincere gratitude of my very much obliged thanks for your grand gracious clement sympathical propitious merciful liberal compassionable cordial nobility of your real humane generous benevolent genuine very kind magnanimous philanthropy, which afforded to me a great redemption of my very lamentable desperate necessitous need, wherein i am at [235]present very poor indeed in my total ruination by the cruel cynical russia, therein is every day a daily tyrannous massacre and assassinate, here is nothing to do any more for me previously, i shall rather go to bursia than to russia. i received from your dear kind amiable amicable goodness recently ￡4 the same was for me a momental recreateing aid in my actual very indigent paltry miserable calamitous situation wherein i gain now nothing and i only perish here. even i cannot earn here my daily bread by my perfect scientifick knowledge of diverse languages, i know the philological neology and archaiology, the best way is for me to go to another country to wit, to bursia or turkey. thus, i solicit and supplicate your charitable generosity by my very humble and instant request to make me go away from here as soon as possible according to your humane kind merciful clemency.
'your obedient servant respectfully,
'nehemiah silvermann,
'dentist and professor of languages.'
so an academy of languages had evolved from the gas, not a restaurant. anyhow the dictionary was in distress again. emigration appeared now the only salvation.
but where in the world was bursia? possibly persia was meant. but why persia? wherein lay the attraction of that exotic land, and whatever would mrs. silvermann and her overflowing progeny do in persia? nehemiah's original suggestion of jerusalem had been much more intelligible. perhaps it persisted still under the head of turkey. not [236]least characteristic barstein found nehemiah's tenacious gloating over his ancient ruin at the hands of russia.
for some days the sculptor went about weighed down by nehemiah's misfortunes, and the necessity of finding time to journey to the minories. but he had an absorbing piece of work, and before he could tear himself away from it a still more urgent shower of words fell upon him.
'3a, the minories, e.
'i have the honour now,' the new letter ran, 'to inquire about my decided and expecting departure. i must sue by my quite humble and very instant entreaty your noble genteel cordial humanity in my very hard troublous and bitter and sour vexations and tribulations to effect for my poor position at least a private anonymous prompt collection as soon as possible according to your clement magnanimous charitable mercy of ￡15 if not ￡25 among your very estimable and respectfully good friends, in good order to go in another country even bursia to get my livelihood by my dental practice or by my other scientifick and philological knowledge. the great competition is here in anything very vigorous. i have here no dental employment, no dental practice, no relations, no relief, no gain, no earning, no introduction, no protection, no recommendation, no money, no good friends, no good connecting acquaintance, in russia i am ruined and i perish here, i am already desperate and despond entirely. i do not know what to do and what shall i do, do now in my actual urgent, extreme immense need. i am told by good many people, that the board of guardians is very seldom to [237]rescue by aid the people, but very often is to find only faults, and vices and to make them guilty. i have nothing to do there, and in the russian jewish fund i found once sir asher aaronsberg and he is not to me sympathical. i supply and solicit considerably your kind humane clement mercy to answer me as soon as possible quick according to your very gracious mercy.
'your obedient servant respectfully,
'nehemiah silvermann,
'dentist and professor of languages.'
as soon as the light failed in his studio, barstein summoned a hansom and sped to the minories.