the foreigner-第24章

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r　religious　activities；　striving　to　gather　into　their　several　folds　the　waifs　and　strays　that　came　stumbling　into　their　city　from　all　landsall　alike；　unaware　of　the　growing　danger　area　in　their　young　city；　forgot　the　foreign　colony；　its　problems　and　its　needs。

Meantime；　summer　followed　winter；　and　winter　summer；　the　months　and　years　went　on　while　the　foreign　colony　grew　in　numbers　and　more　slowly　in　wealth。　　More　slowly　in　wealth；　because　as　an　individual　member　grew　in　wealth　he　departed　from　the　colony　and　went　out　to　make　an　independent　home　for　himself　in　one　of　the　farming　colonies　which　the　Government　was　establishing　in　some　of　the　more　barren　and　forbidding　sections　of　the　country；　or　it　may　be；　loving　the　city　and　its　ways　of　business；　he　rapidly　sloughed　off　with　his　foreign　clothes　his　foreign　speech　and　manner　of　life；　and　his　foreign　ideals　as　well；　and　became　a　Canadian　citizen；　distinguished　from　his　cosmopolitan　fellow　citizen　only　by　the　slight　difficulty　he　displayed　with　some　of　the　consonants　of　the　language。

Such　a　man　was　Simon　Ketzel。　　Simon　was　by　trade　a　carpenter；　but　he　had　received　in　the　old　land　a　good　educational　foundation；　he　had；　moreover；　a　shrewd　head　for　affairs；　and　so　he　turned　his　energies　to　business；　and　with　conspicuous　success。　　For　in　addition　to　all　his　excellent　qualities；　Simon　possessed　as　the　most　valuable　part　of　his　equipment　a　tidy；　thrifty　wife；　who　saved　what　her　husband　earned　and　kept　guard　over　him　on　feast　days；　saved　and　kept　guard　so　faithfully　that　before　long　Simon　came　to　see　the　wisdom　of　her　policy　and　became　himself　a　shrewd　and　sober　and　well…doing　Canadian；　able　to　hold　his　own　with　the　best　of　them。

His　sobriety　and　steadiness　Simon　owed　mostly　to　his　thrifty　wife；　but　his　rapid　transformation　into　Canadian　citizenship　he　owed　chiefly　to　his　little　daughter　Margaret。　　It　was　Margaret　that　taught　him　his　English；　as　she　conned　over　her　lessons　with　him　in　the　evenings。　　It　was　Margaret　who　carried　home　from　the　little　Methodist　mission　near　by；　the　illustrated　paper　and　the　library　book；　and　thus　set　him　a…reading。　　It　was　Margaret　that　brought　both　Simon　and　Lena；　his　wife；　to　the　social　gathering　of　the　Sunday　School　and　of　the　church。　　It　was　thus　to　little　Margaret　that　the　Ketzels　owed　their　introduction　to　Canadian　life　and　manners；　and　to　the　finer　sides　of　Canadian　religion。　　And　through　little　Margaret　it　was　that　those　greatest　of　all　Canadianising　influences；　the　school　and　the　mission；　made　their　impact　upon　the　hearts　and　the　home　of　the　Ketzel　family。　　And　as　time　went　on　it　came　to　pass　that　from　the　Ketzel　home；　clean；　orderly；　and　Canadian；　there　went　out　into　the　foul　wastes　about；　streams　of　healing　and　cleansing　that　did　their　beneficent　work　where　they　went。

One　of　these　streams　reached　the　home　of　Paulina；　to　the　great　good　of　herself　and　her　family。　　Here；　again；　it　was　chiefly　little　Margaret　who　became　the　channel　of　the　new　life；　for　with　Paulina　both　Simon　and　Lena　had　utterly　failed。　　She　was　too　dull；　too　apathetic；　too　hopeless　and　too　suspicious　even　of　her　own　kind　to　allow　the　Ketzels　an　entrance　to　her　heart。　　But　even　had　she　not　been　all　this；　she　was　too　sorely　oppressed　with　the　burden　of　her　daily　toil　to　yield　to　such　influence　as　they　had　to　offer。　　For　Rosenblatt　was　again　in　charge　of　her　household。　　In　a　manner　best　known　to　himself；　he　had　secured　the　mortgage　on　her　home；　and　thus　became　her　landlord；　renting　her　the　room　in　which　she　and　her　family　dwelt；　and　for　which　they　all　paid　in　daily　labour；　and　dearly　enough。　　Rosenblatt；　thus　being　her　master；　would　not　let　her　go。　　She　was　too　valuable　for　that。　　Strong；　patient；　diligent；　from　early　dawn　till　late　at　night　she　toiled　and　moiled　with　her　baking　and　scrubbing；　fighting　out　that　ancient　and　primitive　and　endless　fight　against　dirt　and　hunger；　beaten　by　the　one；　but　triumphing　over　the　other。　　She　carried　in　her　heart　a　dull　sense　of　injustice；　a　feeling　that　somehow　wrong　was　being　done　her；　but　when　Rosenblatt　flourished　before　her　a　formidable　legal　document；　and　had　the　same　interpreted　to　her　by　his　smart　young　clerk；　Samuel　Sprink；　she；　with　true　Slavic　and　fatalistic　passivity；　accepted　her　lot　and　bent　her　strong　back　to　her　burden　without　complaint。　　What　was　the　use　of　complaint？　　Who　in　all　the　city　was　there　to　care　for　a　poor；　stupid；　Galician　woman　with　none　too　savoury　a　reputation？　　Many　and　generous　were　the　philanthropies　of　Winnipeg；　but　as　yet　there　was　none　that　had　to　do　with　the　dirt；　disease　and　degradation　that　were　too　often　found　in　the　environment　of　the　foreign　people。　　There　were　many　churches　in　the　city　rich　in　good　work；　with　many　committees　that　met　to　confer　and　report；　but　there　was　not　yet　one　whose　special　duty　it　was　to　confer　and　to　report　upon　the　unhappy　and　struggling　and　unsavoury　foreigner　within　their　city　gate。

Yes；　there　was　one。　　The　little　Methodist　mission　hard　by　the　foreign　colony　had　such　a　committee；　a　remarkable　committee　in　a　way；　a　committee　with　no　fine…spun　theories　of　wholesale　reform；　a　committee　with　no　delicate　nostril　to　be　buried　in　a　perfumed　handkerchief　when　pursuing　an　investigation　（as　a　matter　of　fact；　that　committee　had　no　sense　of　smell　at　all）；　a　committee　of　one；　namely；　John　James　Parsons；　the　Methodist　missionary；　and　he　worked　chiefly　with　committees　of　one；　of　which　not　the　least　important　was　little　Margaret　Ketzel。

It　was　through　Margaret　Ketzel　that　Parsons　got　his　first　hold　of　Paulina；　by　getting　hold　of　her　little　girl　Irma。　　For　Margaret；　though　so　much　her　junior　in　years　and　experience；　was　to　Irma　a　continual　source　of　wonder　and　admiration。　　Her　facility　with　the　English　speech；　her　ability　to　read　books；　her　fine　manners；　her　clean　and　orderly　home；　her　pretty　Canadian　dress；　her　beloved　school；　her　cheery　mission；　all　these　were　to　Irma　new；　wonderful　and　fascinating。　　Gradually　Irma　was　drawn　to　that　new　world　of　Margaret's；　and　away　from　the　old；　sordid；　disorderly　wretchedness　of　her　own　life　and　home。

After　much　secret　conference　with　all　the　Ketzels；　and　much　patient　and　skilful　labour　on　the　part　of　the　motherly　Lena；　a　great　day　at　length　arrived　for　Irma。　　It　was　the　day　on　which　she　discarded　the　head　shawl　with　the　rest　of　the　quaint　Galician　attire；　and　appeared　dressed　as　a　Canadian　girl；　discovering　to　her　delighted　friends　and　to　all　who　knew　her；　though　not　yet　to　herself；　a　rare　beauty　hitherto　unnoticed　by　any。　　Indeed；　when　Mr。　Samuel　Sprink；　coming　in　from　Rosenblatt's　store　to　spend　a　few　hurried　minutes　in　gorging　himself　after　his　manner　at　the　evening　meal；　allowed　himself　time　to　turn　his　eyes　from　his　plate　and　to　let　them　rest　upon　the　little　maid　waiting　upon　his　table；　the　transformation　from　the　girl；　slatternly；　ragged　and　none　too　clean；　that　was　wont　to　bring　him　his　food；　to　this　new　being　that　flitted　about　from　place　to　place；　smote　him　as　with　a　sudden　blow。　　He　laid　down　the　instruments　of　his　gluttony　and　for　a　full　half　minute　forgot　the　steaming　stew　before　him；　whose　garlic…laden　odours　had　been　assailing　his　nostrils　some　minutes　previously　with　pungent　delight。　　Others；　too；　of　that　hungry　gorging　company　found　themselves　disturbed　in　their　ordinary　occupation　by　this　vision　of　sweet　and　tender　beauty　that　flitted　about　them；　ministering　to　their　voracity。

To　none　more　than　to　Rosenblatt　himself　was　the　transformation　of　Irma　a　surprise　and　a　mystery。　　It　made　him　uneasy。　　He　had　an　instinctive　feeling　that　this　was　the　beginning　of　an　emancipation　that　would　leave　him　one　day　without　his　slaves。　　Paulina；　too；　would　learn　the　new　ways；　then　she　and　the　girl；　who　now　spent　long　hours　of　hard　labour　in　his　service；　would　demand　money　for　their　toil。　　The　thought　grieved　him　sore。　　But　there　was　another　thought　that　stabbed　him　with　a　keener　pain。　　Paulina　and　her　family　would　learn　that　they　need　no　longer　fear　him；　that　they　could　do　without　him；　and　then　they　would　escape　from　his　control。　　And　this　Rosenblatt　dreaded　above　all　things　else。　　To　lose　the　power　to　keep　in　degradation　the　wife　and　children　of　the　man　he　hated　with　a　quenchless　hatred　would　be　to　lose　much　of　the　sweetness　of　life。　Those　few