Page:The Lady's Book Vol. V.pdf/99

 THE DARK DAY. 95

“The next morning my father ascertained from Miriam, that the property which belonged to her father and his companions, was chiefly in gold; and he acquainted her at once with the fact that nothing but light merchandise had been saved from the wreck. I am then poor, as well as an orphan, “ said Miriam, “and the wave that swallowed father, friends, and wealth, has thrown me forth a helpless dependant upon those, who are strangers to my name, my kindred, and my faith. Oh! may He, who has made us a suffering and a scattered nation, support the weakest of his once loved people. '

“In a short time, Miriam, from being taught to think our house her home, appeared as one of the family. Her voice was heard in the parlour, with my mother; she occasionally assisted in the light offices of the kitchen; and my father, though scarcely capable of appreciating the excellencies of her character and disposition, appeared at least amused with her evening conversation. She had selected from her numerous books, such as might be most interesting to the family, to whom, when gathered around the hearth, for evening's enjoyment, she would read some interesting and moral tale, or entertain them with a description of incidents and scenery in Europe. She had, too, visited Palestine, the Classic, the Holy Land of our Puritan fathers. She had sat upon the tombs of the Prophetsshe had looked down from Olivet, and forded Kedron she had seen the fox look forth from the walls of Jerusalem, and wept over the wastes of that beautiful city — she had trodden the valley of Jehoshaphat, and sailed upon the sea of Galilee.

“My father's whole course of reading had been confined to polemical divinity; and, because he had possessed himself of all the information within his reach, it was not strange that he should have some high notions of his own attainments. His daily expositions of scripture allusions, I had always thought ingenious, and knew no reason why they should not be correct. He had a custom of appealing occasionally to my mother, and sometimes to me, to corroborate, or correct his explanations. This he did perhaps the more frequently, as he was seldom or never contradicted. The close attention which Miriam gave to the morning lessons of my father, rapidly increased his esteem for her virtues.

“I remember one day, as he was dwelling upon the doctrine of inherent sinfulness, of the natural proneness of our race to iniquity, he quoted the confession of Lamech' I have slain a man to my wounding and a young man to my hurt.'This treading so upon the heels of Cain's trespass, was pregnant with proof of my father's position; and yet, considering the use that is made of the sin of the first murderer, it appeared a matter of astonishment to him, that a more frequent reference was not made in scripture to the murder of Lamech. It is probable that my father was prepared with a solution; but, choosing to excite the attention of his littte audience, he inquired first of Miriam, her opinion. She either professed ignorance or evaded an answer. My mother attended these family services in compliance with a good custom, and to receive instruction; of course she had no reply. I expressed myself unable to solve the difficulty, otherwise than by conjecture. Miriam was appealed to a second time.

“Might I be permitted, “said she, “to express an opinion opposed to words of the sacred volume you have in your hand, I should say that there was an error in the translation; the sense, “continued she, “of the words ( repeating the Hebrew text, ) is clearly interrogative, and, as such, will be considered as a protestation of innocence, rather than a confession of guilt.'My father was startled at this exposition. Not less, perhaps, because of the expounder, than from its being destructive to the triumphant thread of reasonings which he had prepared, and opposed to the conclusions at which he was to arrive.

“That is a view of the subject, “said my father, “that. I have not taken; nor is it strange, as I have not the advantage of the original language of the scripture; and to confess the truth, I have never before heard any reference made to the Hebrew and Samaritan text, in relation to the first part of the Bible.'My father, as you know, was a good man, but not the less likely to feel a diminution of consequence, at discovering that one of his regular auditors and that a female possessed facilities for interpreting, of which he could not avail himself; but Miriam's modesty unarmed him farther of any resentment; although I could perceive for several days, he hesitated in his exhortations; and, it was not until Miriam had frequently solicited instruction, and listened with renewed patience to his lessons, that he recovered his usual ease and appearance of authority.

“I have noticed, “said my father to Miriam, one evening as we were gathering into the family group, I have noticed that the books from which you so frequently read to us, are not in the English tongue, and from the appearance of the letters, I also conclude that they are not all in the same language you must of course be familiar with several. '

With the French and Italian, I am conversant, “replied Miriam; ' not only from having pursued the studies of them in childhood, but also, from frequent use thereof, in French and Italian cities. '

“But the Hebrew, “said my father, “I haye never heard that the study of that language entered into a course of female education; and yet, if I mistake not, you referred to a text of scripture accidentally brought forward, with as much facility in the Hebrew, as if it had been your mother tongue. '

“I once, “said Miriam, with some hesitation, “travelled with my father through Palestine. '

“But is that language now spoken in Judea? ' asked my father. I had thought, that it was confined to the study of the clergy, or the religious exercises of some of the outcasts and scattered Jews; whose Rabbis, I have heard, read or