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the　lines　of　such　general　propositions　as　this　White　read　little　scraps　of　intimation　that　linked　with　the　things　Benham　let　fall　in　Johannesburg　to　reconstruct　the　Kieff　adventure。　Benham　had　been　visiting　a　friend　in　the　country　on　the　further　side　of　the　Dnieper。　　As　they　drove　back　along　dusty　stretches　of　road　amidst　fields　of　corn　and　sunflower　and　through　bright　little　villages；　they　saw　against　the　evening　blue　under　the　full　moon　a　smoky　red　glare　rising　from　amidst　the　white　houses　and　dark　trees　of　the　town。　　〃The　pogrom's　begun；〃　said　Benham's　friend；　and　was　surprised　when　Benham　wanted　to　end　a　pleasant　day　by　going　to　see　what　happens　after　the　beginning　of　a　pogrom。　He　was　to　have　several　surprises　before　at　last　he　left　Benham　in　disgust　and　went　home　by　himself。　For　Benham；　with　that　hastiness　that　so　flouted　his　exalted　theories；　passed　rapidly　from　an　attitude　of　impartial　enquiry　to　active　intervention。　　The　two　men　left　their　carriage　and　plunged　into　the　network　of　unlovely　dark　streets　in　which　the　Jews　and　traders　harboured。　。　。　。　　Benham's　first　intervention　was　on　behalf　of　a　crouching　and　yelping　bundle　of　humanity　that　was　being　dragged　about　and　kicked　at　a　street　corner。　　The　bundle　resolved　itself　into　a　filthy　little　old　man；　and　made　off　with　extraordinary　rapidity；　while　Benham　remonstrated　with　the　kickers。　　Benham's　tallness；　his　very　Gentile　face；　his　good　clothes；　and　an　air　of　tense　authority　about　him　had　its　effect；　and　the　kickers　shuffled　off　with　remarks　that　were　partly　apologies。　　But　Benham's　friend　revolted。　　This　was　no　business　of　theirs。　Benham　went　on　unaccompanied　towards　the　glare　of　the　burning　houses。　For　a　time　he　watched。　　Black　figures　moved　between　him　and　the　glare；　and　he　tried　to　find　out　the　exact　nature　of　the　conflict　by　enquiries　in　clumsy　Russian。　　He　was　told　that　the　Jews　had　insulted　a　religious　procession；　that　a　Jew　had　spat　at　an　ikon；　that　the　shop　of　a　cheating　Jew　trader　had　been　set　on　fire；　and　that　the　blaze　had　spread　to　the　adjacent　group　of　houses。　　He　gathered　that　the　Jews　were　running　out　of　the　burning　block　on　the　other　side　〃like　rats。〃　　The　crowd　was　mostly　composed　of　town　roughs　with　a　sprinkling　of　peasants。　　They　were　mischievous　but　undecided。　　Among　them　were　a　number　of　soldiers；　and　he　was　surprised　to　see　a　policemen；　brightly　lit　from　head　to　foot；　watching　the　looting　of　a　shop　that　was　still　untouched　by　the　flames。　He　held　back　some　men　who　had　discovered　a　couple　of　women's　figures　slinking　along　in　the　shadow　beneath　a　wall。　　Behind　his　remonstrances　the　Jewesses　escaped。　　His　anger　against　disorder　was　growing　upon　him。　。　。　。　Late　that　night　Benham　found　himself　the　leading　figure　amidst　a　party　of　Jews　who　had　made　a　counter　attack　upon　a　gang　of　roughs　in　a　court　that　had　become　the　refuge　of　a　crowd　of　fugitives。　　Some　of　the　young　Jewish　men　had　already　been　making　a　fight；　rather　a　poor　and　hopeless　fight；　from　the　windows　of　the　house　near　the　entrance　of　the　court；　but　it　is　doubtful　if　they　would　have　made　an　effective　resistance　if　it　had　not　been　for　this　tall　excited　stranger　who　was　suddenly　shouting　directions　to　them　in　sympathetically　murdered　Russian。　　It　was　not　that　he　brought　powerful　blows　or　subtle　strategy　to　their　assistance；　but　that　he　put　heart　into　them　and　perplexity　into　his　adversaries　because　he　was　so　manifestly　non…partizan。　　Nobody　could　ever　have　mistaken　Benham　for　a　Jew。　　When　at　last　towards　dawn　a　not　too　zealous　governor　called　out　the　troops　and　began　to　clear　the　streets　of　rioters；　Benham　and　a　band　of　Jews　were　still　keeping　the　gateway　of　that　court　behind　a　hasty　but　adequate　barricade　of　furniture　and　handbarrows。　The　ghetto　could　not　understand　him；　nobody　could　understand　him；　but　it　was　clear　a　rare　and　precious　visitor　had　come　to　their　rescue；　and　he　was　implored　by　a　number　of　elderly；　dirty；　but　very　intelligent…looking　old　men　to　stay　with　them　and　preserve　them　until　their　safety　was　assured。　They　could　not　understand　him；　but　they　did　their　utmost　to　entertain　him　and　assure　him　of　their　gratitude。　　They　seemed　to　consider　him　as　a　representative　of　the　British　Government；　and　foreign　intervention　on　their　behalf　is　one　of　those　unfortunate　fixed　ideas　that　no　persecuted　Jews　seem　able　to　abandon。　Benham　found　himself；　refreshed　and　tended；　sitting　beside　a　wood　fire　in　an　inner　chamber　richly　flavoured　by　humanity　and　listening　to　a　discourse　in　evil　but　understandable　German。　　It　was　a　discourse　upon　the　wrongs　and　the　greatness　of　the　Jewish　people　and　it　was　delivered　by　a　compact　middle…aged　man　with　a　big　black　beard　and　long…lashed　but　animated　eyes。　　Beside　him　a　very　old　man　dozed　and　nodded　approval。　　A　number　of　other　men　crowded　the　apartment；　including　several　who　had　helped　to　hold　off　the　rioters　from　the　court。　　Some　could　follow　the　talk　and　ever　again　endorsed　the　speaker　in　Yiddish　or　Russian；　others　listened　with　tantalized　expressions；　their　brows　knit；　their　lips　moving。　It　was　a　discourse　Benham　had　provoked。　　For　now　he　was　at　the　very　heart　of　the　Jewish　question；　and　he　could　get　some　light　upon　the　mystery　of　this　great　hatred　at　first　hand。　　He　did　not　want　to　hear　tales　of　outrages；　of　such　things　he　knew；　but　he　wanted　to　understand　what　was　the　irritation　that　caused　these　things。　So　he　listened。　　The　Jew　dilated　at　first　on　the　harmlessness　and　usefulness　of　the　Jews。　〃But　do　you　never　take　a　certain　advantage？〃　Benham　threw　out。　〃The　Jews　are　cleverer　than　the　Russians。　　Must　we　suffer　for　that？〃　The　spokesman　went　on　to　the　more　positive　virtues　of　his　race。　Benham　suddenly　had　that　uncomfortable　feeling　of　the　Gentile　who　finds　a　bill　being　made　against　him。　　Did　the　world　owe　Israel　nothing　for　Philo；　Aron　ben　Asher；　Solomon　Gabriol；　Halevy；　Mendelssohn；　Heine；　Meyerbeer；　Rubinstein；　Joachim；　Zangwill？　　Does　Britain　owe　nothing　to　Lord　Beaconsfield；　Montefiore　or　the　Rothschilds？　　Can　France　repudiate　her　debt　to　Fould；　Gaudahaux；　Oppert；　or　Germany　to　Furst；　Steinschneider；　Herxheimer；　Lasker；　Auerbach；　Traube　and　Lazarus　and　Benfey？　。　。　。　Benham　admitted　under　the　pressure　of　urgent　tones　and　gestures　that　these　names　did　undoubtedly　include　the　cream　of　humanity；　but　was　it　not　true　that　the　Jews　did　press　a　little　financially　upon　the　inferior　peoples　whose　lands　they　honoured　in　their　exile？　The　man　with　the　black　beard　took　up　the　challenge　bravely。　〃They　are　merciful　creditors；〃　he　said。　　〃And　it　is　their　genius　to　possess　and　control。　　What　better　stewards　could　you　find　for　the　wealth　of　nations　than　the　Jews？　　And　for　the　honours？　　That　always　had　been　the　role　of　the　Jewsstewardship。　　Since　the　days　of　Joseph　in　Egypt。　。　。　。〃　Then　in　a　lower　voice　he　went　on　to　speak　of　the　deficiencies　of　the　Gentile　population。　　He　wished　to　be　just　and　generous　but　the　truth　was　the　truth。　　The　Christian　Russians　loved　drink　and　laziness；　they　had　no　sense　of　property；　were　it　not　for　unjust　laws　even　now　the　Jews　would　possess　all　the　land　of　South　Russia。　。　。　。　Benham　listened　with　a　kind　of　fascination。　　〃But；〃　he　said。　It　was　so。　　And　with　a　confidence　that　aroused　a　protest　or　so　from　the　onlookers；　the　Jewish　apologist　suddenly　rose　up；　opened　a　safe　close　beside　the　fire　and　produced　an　armful　of　documents。　〃Look！〃　he　said；　〃all　over　South　Russia　there　are　these！〃　Benham　was　a　little　slow　to　understand；　until　half　a　dozen　of　these　papers　had　been　thrust　into　his　hand。　　Eager　fingers　pointed；　and　several　voices　spoke。　　These　things　were　illegalities　that　might　some　day　be　legal；　there　were　the　records　of　loans　and　hidden　transactions　that　might　at　any　time　put　all　the　surrounding　soil　into　the　hands　of　the　Jew。　　All　South　Russia　was　mortgaged。　。　。　。　〃But　is　it　so？〃　asked　Benham；　and　for　a　time　ceased　to　listen　and　stared　into　the　fire。　Then　he　held　up　the　papers　in　his　hand　to　secure　silence　and；　feeling　his　way　in　unaccustomed　German；　began　to　speak　and　continued　to　speak　in　spite　of　a　constant　insurgent　undertone　of　interruption　from　the　Jewish　spokesman。　All　men；　Benham　said；　were　brothers。　　Did　they　not　remember　Nathan　the　Wise？　〃I　did　not　claim　him；〃　said　the　spokesman；　misunderstanding。　　〃He　is　a　character　in　fiction。〃　But　all　me