"Yes; his appearance is very striking."

"Aunt Esther!" The vehemence of Mrs. Lewis's feelings sent her ball of
cotton rolling to the other end of the room.

"My dear, what is it?" Mrs. Levice turned a pair of bright, interested
eyes on her niece.

"You know very well what I wish to say: everybody wondered to see Ruth with
Dr. Kemp."

"Why?"

"Because every one knows that she never goes out with any gentleman but
Uncle or Louis, and we all were surprised. The Hoffmans sat behind us, and
Miss Hoffman leaned forward to ask what it meant. I met several
acquaintances this morning who had been there, and each one made some
remark about Ruth. One said, 'I had no idea the Levices were so intimate
with Dr. Kemp;' another young girl laughed and said, 'Ruth Levice had a
swell escort last night, didn't she?' Still another asked, 'Anything on
the tapis in your family, Mrs. Lewis?' And what could I say?"

"What did you say?"

Mrs. Levice's quiet tone did not betray her vexation. She had feared just
such a little disturbance from the Jewish community, but her husband's
views had overruled hers, and she was now bound to uphold his.
Nevertheless, she hated anything of the kind.