THE SYNAGOGUE

From ‘The Rebel Queen’:  Harper and Brothers

     “D’un jour interieur je me sens eclaire,
     Et j’entends une voix qui me dit d’esperer.”—­LAMARTINE.

“Are you ready, Francesca?”

Nelly ran lightly down the narrow stairs, dressed for Sabbath and Synagogue.  She was dainty and pretty at all times in the matter of dress, but especially on a summer day, which affords opportunity for bright color and bright drapery and an ethereal appearance.  This morning she was full of color and light.  When, however, she found herself confronted with Francesca’s simple gray dress, so closely fitting, so faultless, and her black-lace hat with its single rose for color, Nelly’s artistic sense caused her heart to sink like lead.  It is not for nothing that one learns and teaches the banjo; one Art leads to another; she who knows music can feel for dress.  “Oh!” she cried, clasping her hands.  “That’s what we can never do!”

“What?”

“That fit!  Look at me!  Yet they call me clever.  Clara gives me the new fashions and I copy them, and the girls in our street copy me—­poor things!—­and the dressmaker comes to talk things over and to learn from me.  I make everything for myself.  And they call me clever!  But I can’t get near it; and if I can’t nobody can."...

A large detached structure of red brick stood east and west, with a flat facade and round windows that bore out the truth of the date—­1700—­carved upon the front.  A word or two in that square character—­that tongue which presents so few attractions to most of us compared with other tongues—­probably corroborated the internal evidence of the facade and the windows.

“This is the synagogue,” said Nelly.  She entered, and turning to the right, led the way up-stairs to a gallery running along the whole side of the building.  On the other side was another gallery.  In front of both was a tolerably wide grill, through which the congregation below could be seen perfectly.

“This is the women’s gallery,” whispered Nell—­there were not many women present.  “We’ll sit in the front.  Presently they will sing.  They sing beautifully.  Now they’re reading prayers and the Law.  They’ve got to read the whole Law through once a week, you know.”  Francesca looked curiously through the grill.  When one is in a perfectly strange place, the first observations made are of small and unimportant things.  She observed that there was a circular inclosure at the east end, as if for an altar; but there was no altar:  two doors indicated a cupboard in the wall.  There were six tall wax-lights burning round the inclosure, although the morning was fine and bright.  At the west end a high screen kept the congregation from the disturbance of those who entered or went out.  Within the screen was a company of men and boys, all with their hats and caps on their heads; they looked like the choir.