a little blast of cold air into the room

  When the first delicious instants were over, Mendel drew a chair to the table and wrote a letter in Hebrew script and posted it and Beenah picked up Miriam's jacket. The crackling flames had subsided to a steady glow, the clock ticked on quietly as before, but something new and sweet and sacred had come into her life, and Beenah no longer wished to die.   When Miriam came home, she brought a little blast of cold air into the room. Beenah rose and shut the door and put out Miriam's supper; she did not drag her feet now.   "Was it a nice play, Miriam?" said Beenah softly.   "The usual stuff and nonsense!" said Miriam peevishly. "Love and all that sort of thing, as if the world never got any older."   At breakfast next morning old Hyams received a letter by the first post. He carefully took his spectacles off and donned his reading-glasses to read it, throwing the envelope carelessly into the fire. When he had scanned a few lines he uttered an exclamation of surprise and dropped the letter.   "What's the matter, father?" said Daniel, while Miriam tilted her snub nose curiously.   "Praised be God!" was all the old man could say.   "Well, what is it? Speak!" said Beenah, with unusual animation, while a flush of excitement lit up Miriam's face and made it beautiful.   "My brother in America has won a thousand pounds on the lotter_ee_ and he invites me and Beenah to come and live with him."   "Your brother in America!" repeated his children staring.   "Why, I didn't know you had a brother in America," added Miriam.