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Egress Modelling of Pedestrians for the

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Digital Innovations in Architecture,
Engineering and Construction

John Gales · Kathryn Chin ·


Timothy Young · Elisabetta Carattin ·
Mei-Yee Man Oram

Egress Modelling
of Pedestrians
for the Design
of Contemporary
Stadia
Digital Innovations in Architecture, Engineering
and Construction

Series Editors
Diogo Ribeiro , Department of Civil Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of Porto,
Porto, Portugal
M. Z. Naser, Glenn Department of Civil Engineering, Clemson University,
Clemson, SC, USA
Rudi Stouffs, Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore,
Singapore, Singapore
Marzia Bolpagni, Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK
The Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry is experiencing
an unprecedented transformation from conventional labor-intensive activities to
automation using innovative digital technologies and processes. This new paradigm
also requires systemic changes focused on social, economic and sustainability
aspects. Within the scope of Industry 4.0, digital technologies are a key factor in
interconnecting information between the physical built environment and the digital
virtual ecosystem. The most advanced virtual ecosystems allow to simulate the built
to enable a real-time data-driven decision-making. This Book Series promotes and
expedites the dissemination of recent research, advances, and applications in the
field of digital innovations in the AEC industry. Topics of interest include but are not
limited to:
Industrialization: digital fabrication, modularization, cobotics, lean.
Material innovations: bio-inspired, nano and recycled materials.
Reality capture: computer vision, photogrammetry, laser scanning, drones.
Extended reality: augmented, virtual and mixed reality.
Sustainability and circular building economy.
Interoperability: building/city information modeling.
Interactive and adaptive architecture.
Computational design: data-driven, generative and performance-based design.
Simulation and analysis: digital twins, virtual cities.
Data analytics: artificial intelligence, machine/deep learning.
Health and safety: mobile and wearable devices, QR codes, RFID.
Big data: GIS, IoT, sensors, cloud computing.
Smart transactions, cybersecurity, gamification, blockchain.
Quality and project management, business models, legal prospective.
Risk and disaster management.
John Gales · Kathryn Chin · Timothy Young ·
Elisabetta Carattin · Mei-Yee Man Oram

Egress Modelling
of Pedestrians for the Design
of Contemporary Stadia
John Gales Kathryn Chin
Department of Civil Engineering Department of Civil Engineering
York University York University
Toronto, ON, Canada Toronto, ON, Canada

Timothy Young Elisabetta Carattin


Department of Civil Engineering Access and Inclusive Environments
York University and Building Services
Toronto, ON, Canada Ove Arup and Partners Ltd.
London, UK
Mei-Yee Man Oram
Access and Inclusive Environments
and Building Services
Ove Arup and Partners Ltd.
London, UK

ISSN 2731-7269 ISSN 2731-7277 (electronic)


Digital Innovations in Architecture, Engineering and Construction
ISBN 978-3-031-33471-9 ISBN 978-3-031-33472-6 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33472-6

© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature
Switzerland AG 2023

This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether
the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse
of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and
transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar
or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication
does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant
protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book
are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or
the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any
errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional
claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG
The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
Acknowledgments

Michael Kinsey (formerly of Arup, now of Movement Strategies), Will Wong (Arup)
and Lachlan Miles (Arup) are acknowledged for their efforts in previous critical
analysis of the data and modelling herein with technical contribution and mentorship
of graduate trainees through regular correspondence on this project.
Contributions are also acknowledged from: Danielle Aucoin who with other
contributors developed and cleared study ethics and helped with initial data collec-
tion and interpretation; Danielle Alberga, Bronwyn Chorlton, Neir Mazur, Natalia
Espinosa-Merlano, Julia Ferri, Lauren Folk, Kiara Gonzales, Georgette Harun,
Teagan Hyndman, Kaleigh MacKay and Austin Martins-Robalino who helped review
and collect movement profiles and assisted with literary review and interpretation
of data; and Luming Huang who helped developed, run, analyse and troubleshooted
the MassMotion modelling contributions. Hailey Todd is acknowledged for initia-
tion of the research project. Rashid Bashir is thanked for helping with providing
the initial 2018 stadium study contacts. Hannah Carton and Chloe Jeanneret are
thanked for supporting the project through copy-editing and assisting in the book’s
revision process.
Organizations thanked for their contributions include the Arup Access and Inclu-
sive Environments and Building Services Team, Arup UK Fire Group, Arup North
Americas Group, Arup Human Behavior and Evacuation Skills Team. The Society
of Fire Protection Engineering (SFPE) Foundation, CSA and MITACS are thanked
for their financial support. The NSERC ALLIANCE programme is acknowledged.
The Stadia managers and event organizers remain anonymous for their time and
assistance in this study.
York University is also thanked for providing ethics-based resources and insti-
tutional support for the data collection phase of this research project through its
TD1/TD2 process.

v
vi Acknowledgments

Statement of Authorship

All persons who have meet authorship criteria in this book are listed as authors.
These authors certify that they have participated sufficiently in the work to take
public responsibility for this manuscript’s content, including the participation in the
concept, design, analysis, writing and revision of this book. Those that do not meet
the full criteria are listed in the acknowledgements above.
Contents

1 Introduction to Pedestrian Movement and Behaviour in Stadia . . . . . . 1


1.1 Introduction and Motivation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 Literary Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.2.1 Previous Stadia Studies Focusing on Evacuation
and Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.2.2 Mobility Related Disabled Persons and Accessibility . . . . . . . 13
1.2.3 Movement Speeds and Modelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
1.2.4 Existing Movement Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
1.2.5 Relevant Codes and Standards for Evacuation of Stadia . . . . . 20
1.3 Introduction to Study Stadium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
1.4 Ethics and Related Safety Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
2 Survey of the Importance of Accessibility Features in Stadia . . . . . . . . 29
2.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
2.2 Survey Methodologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
2.3 Survey Observations and Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
2.4 Analysis and Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
3 Data Collection of Movement and Behaviour of Pedestrians
in Stadia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
3.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
3.2 Data Collection Methodologies for Movement and Behaviour
of Pedestrians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
3.3 Mobility Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
3.4 Movement Speed Profiles of Pedestrians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
3.5 Analysis and Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

vii
viii Contents

4 Evacuation and Pedestrian Modelling in Stadia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55


4.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
4.2 Artificial Intelligence Theorems in Pedestrian Modelling . . . . . . . . . . 56
4.3 Evacuation Model Generation and Limiting Assumptions . . . . . . . . . 62
4.4 Evacuation Model Scenarios and Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
4.5 Evacuation Model Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
4.6 Analysis and Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
5 Strategies and Technology for Effective Evacuation Design
of Stadia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
5.1 Strategies for Effective Evacuation Design of Stadia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
5.2 Technology for Effective Evacuation Design of Stadia . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
5.2.1 Collation of Movement Speed Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
5.2.2 Future of AI Technologies for Egress and Movement
Modelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
5.2.3 Semi-Autonomous Technologies for Human Movement
Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
5.2.4 Autonomous Technologies for Human Movement Data . . . . . 83
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Chapter 1
Introduction to Pedestrian Movement
and Behaviour in Stadia

Abstract There is a significant population of mobility related disabled persons in


Canada. Recent studies have shown accessibility and mobility are a large concern
in stadia egress which requires more research and practitioner attention. In 2019,
Canada enacted the Accessible Canada Act to address this issue by focusing on iden-
tifying, removing, and preventing barriers that limit social, political and economic
inclusion. However, the act currently requires only minimal design considerations
which would be helpful to a select group of disabled persons, and for only certain
types of buildings, often excluding stadia. Accessibility should offer equal quality
of life for all disabled persons as well as non-disabled persons. There is a lack of
research on understanding the behaviour of disabled persons in egress of stadia which
designers require. Therefore, a Canadian tennis stadium will be analyzed during
normal circulation and egress situations. The chapter presents a literary background
for movement of disabled persons in egress and presents reviews of both Canadian
and international design guidance for egress identifying areas of focus for later chap-
ters. While the chapter focuses on the Canadian context, general conclusions may be
globally applicable.

1.1 Introduction and Motivation

In addition to guidance documents, such as the Green Guide, the advancement of


stadia design in the last few decades has considered the emergence of novel tools
and technologies that have been created by industry.1 Largely these tools are based
upon accurate representation of human movement and behaviour. These tools are
based upon the advancements of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Tools and technologies
largely exist in the form of advanced modelling tools which aim to represent the
population within the stadium. These technologies are very useful for representing
crowds found within stadia and enable a designer to quickly identify areas of crowd
congestion to enable new designs for improved movement in that space. Figure 1.1

1 The majority of pedestrian movement software that has been developed primarily has been done
in industry settings with support from academic institutions.
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 1
J. Gales et al., Egress Modelling of Pedestrians for the Design of Contemporary Stadia,
Digital Innovations in Architecture, Engineering and Construction,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33472-6_1
2 1 Introduction to Pedestrian Movement and Behaviour in Stadia

illustrates the use of a pedestrian movement model to represent crossflow, bottlenecks


and consequences of decision making.
Contemporary stadia design requires an in-depth consideration of real human
behaviour. The reliability of pedestrian movement models used for exit and evacu-
ation design will depend on the confidence of the input movement and behavioral
data of pedestrians and accurate artificial intelligence algorithms used to describe
the movement and behaviour of pedestrians.
For example, through default modelling practices where exits are assigned through
a lowest cost procedure (see Fig. 1.1a) this may not necessarily capture all real risks
and parameters present in stadia which must be considered. Figure 1.2 illustrates
such an example. At the end of a sporting match, people begin leaving before the

Fig. 1.1 Computational


tools for stadia design of
people movement a potential
cross flow, b congested
bottleneck, c wayfinding and
decision making

(a)

(b)

(c)
1.1 Introduction and Motivation 3

Fig. 1.2 Computational tools calibrated to study exit density

end of the match. At this stadium, a video screen is present. This encourages the
leaving attendees to wait under the screen to watch the remaining seconds of the
match. The crowd increases in density, waiting at the exit gate. Once the match
concludes, the group exits through the gate. This behaviour is a particular hazard to
consider owing to the density seen. Consider if someone with a mobility aid trips
in the congestion, those behind them can also fall. The knowledge of the behaviour
through data collection at the stadium allows for the hazard to be replicated in a
model and studied.
Currently stadia design is still in need for more contemporary data with respect to
surrounding pedestrian movement and behaviour. This is true for most infrastructure
where mixed demographics and high capacities may be expected. There is a signifi-
cant population of mobility related disabled persons in Canada. Recent studies have
shown accessibility and mobility are a large concern in stadia egress which requires
more research and practitioner attention. There is a lack of research, which designers
require, to understand the movement and behaviour of mobility related disabilities
in persons in the egress of stadia. Herein, a full-scale observational study of a real
stadium is observed and analyzed to reinforce conclusions and movement trends
which will be reported.
Individual pedestrian movement and behaviour is studied with specific focus
on accessibility, inclusion and disabled persons. This book recognizes that stadia
design is at a revolutionary stage of advancement. Various technological gains in
data collection methodologies will be described where the authors work towards the
collection of big data which can be used for future refinement of modelling tech-
nologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) routines. Automated analysis technologies
are also described where they may be more advantageous to replacing manual or
semi-automatic methods. While the authors will focus on Canadian infrastructure
primarily, the results will be useful within a global context and discussion on Stadia
Design.
The first phase of the study is a survey regarding the public and staff’s knowledge
on accessibility features in the stadium considered, as well how they believe the
4 1 Introduction to Pedestrian Movement and Behaviour in Stadia

stadium design could be improved to be more accessible. The survey study is done
to recognize factors such as the architecture of the stadium, that affect the mobility
related disabled population from attending or not attending. This survey acts as a
baseline for how the stadium is currently functioning. Specifically, the survey evalu-
ates how accessible the stadium design is, pointing to immediate improvements which
would foster an increase in mobility related disabled persons attending the stadium
events. The second phase of the study builds upon these findings with an observa-
tional study which focuses on collecting population and movement data on current
demographics using the stadium. Movement profiles for mobility related disabled
and non-disabled persons will organize the parameters of respective microsimulation
agents in terms of mean walking speeds. This includes the following occupant and
building characteristics of interest:
• Horizontal movement of mobility related disabled persons (for example those
using wheel-chairs, canes etc.);
• Persons with other reduced mobility conditions (for example those carrying large
luggage, or those travelling with family);
• Persons with various body shapes and sizes which may influence mobility
(obesity);
• Intoxicated persons (ex. herein ‘any’ alcohol consumption is inclusive of this
category); and
• Persons transversing stairs.
Collecting this movement data allows for it to be placed in pedestrian evacu-
ation and movement models for circulation and thus allows designers to consider
their needs in the design of future structures to enhance safety. The datasets derived
enabled the authors to illustrate the effect of egress model parameters to reflect
in-situ environment conditions. The concluding datasets are then used in the third
research phase where simulations are created. These allow engineered designs to
be simulated beyond the existing level of an assumed homogeneous population by
incorporating non-homogenous populations of individuals in stadium crowds which
would be expected in future use. These models include using the current default
parameters (demographics and movement speeds), manually adjusting parameters
with and without mobility requirements, and manually inputting parameters for a
forecasted population with a higher population of disabled persons. The final simu-
lation addresses how changes in mobility related disabled persons demographics
may institute specific design requirements and future research areas. The last stage
of study considers how the data collected can be used for effective design while
giving attention to renewed technologies that may help with the collection of future
data that may enable future theory to develop to improved stadia design for people
movement.
This book aims to improve the environment to prevent the act of disabling persons,
and to further promote accessibility and safety.
The book was divided into several chapters to meet the aforementioned objectives.
This first chapter has introduced various aspects of the field of study to introduce
the reader to the case study and relevant literature. The research is established in
1.2 Literary Background 5

its use and novelty. This chapter will introduce the reader to the subject matter
and provide the background information necessary for the reader to understand the
terminologies and theory being explored in the book. It will focus on behavioral
aspects of people in stadia, a brief literary review to the subject. It will then explore
the current theory behind modelling used to describe people movement in stadia
and the artificial intelligence behind this theory. Lastly, it will introduce the reader
to the original research being used in the book and the ethics clearance involved to
undertake the study.
Chapter 2, Survey of the Importance of Accessibility Features in Stadia, will
explore the demographic breakdown which is seen in contemporary stadia. A survey
will be introduced that was used to undertake a quantification of accessibility features
at the stadium. This portion of the study aims to demonstrate how improvements to
the design of the stadium and its grounds can improve inclusivity and safety. As well,
it aims to show that working with the population directly affected by the design of
the environment can help to create universal spaces.
Chapter 3, Data collection of Movement and Behaviour of Pedestrians in Stadia,
introduces the reader to the data collection process with emphasis on current and
emerging technologies used to capture movement trajectories from imagery. The
resulting movement profiles for all demographics will be presented which include
disabled persons and movement effects from alcohol.
Chapter 4, Evacuation and Pedestrian Modelling in Stadia, will explain the artifi-
cial intelligence theorems used to describe people movement in pedestrian modelling.
The construction of a stadium model will be explained with appropriate limitations
described. A suite of scenarios will be considered to explore future demographic
trends in stadium and their effect on movement and evacuation.
Chapter 5, Strategies for Effective Evacuation of Stadia, the chapter will present
emerging trends in pedestrian movement and development of requisite software to
describe their behaviour. Future research needs will be described, and new technolo-
gies being used to track movement and improve data collection will be presented and
reviewed.

1.2 Literary Background

1.2.1 Previous Stadia Studies Focusing on Evacuation


and Movement

In 2018, the Society of Fire Protection Engineers launched a multi-year study to


investigate and produce new movement speed profiles that could be utilized in various
pedestrian movement models (see Gales 2020). This was project was led by York
University researchers and collaborators and leveraged through a MITACS grant
with the SFPE St. Laurent Chapter in Canada. Industrial collaborators included the
design consultancy firm Arup. This research endeavor focused on several unique
6 1 Introduction to Pedestrian Movement and Behaviour in Stadia

infrastructure types. This included care homes for the aged (Folk et al. 2020), cultural
centers (Gales et al. 2022), airports and commuter stations (Gatien et al. 2022; Young
and Gales 2022), and focus herein in this book, stadia (Chin et al. 2022a, b; Young
et al. 2021). The latter stadia will be reviewed prior to discussion into the theme of
accessibility and movement as this was not considered in the previous studies as will
be described.
Previously Chin et al. (2022a, b) investigated the current demographic breakdown
of stadia users by age in Canadian football stadia and illustrated profound differences
in movement based upon the age of the population. Chin also verified that funda-
mental speed reductions associated to levels of service drops as would currently be
the practice to assume, at least for small to medium sized density. This study also
found that high levels of congestion in stadia predominately involved older persons
(generally noted as 65+) in the crowd. Figure 1.3 illustrates the movement speed
data collected and the corresponding density through a stadium corridor with 511
persons. Level of service is also noted which corresponds to specific population
densities where movement is expected to be impacted. The speed data allows for a
fundamental diagram to be constructed of speed reduction with density.
In a companion study, motivation stimulus for egress was studied by the authors
(see Young et al. 2021). In that study, a normal egress event was filmed and analyzed
by the authors, a high motivation Egress event was filmed and analyzed by the authors,
and archival video recordings of a fire egress event was analyzed. All events occurred
in the mid to late afternoon in the day. The same filming methodologies were utilized
for the normal and high motivation with the same cameras seen in Chin et al. (2022a,
b). The Fire Scenario used several cell phone recordings from spectators including
a ‘birds-eye’ view which was taken from an adjoining apartment building. Only the

2.5

2.25 Level of Service A B C


Child
2
Young Adult
1.75 Adult
1.5 Older
Speed (m/s)

1.25

0.75

0.5

0.25

0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7
Local Density (persons/m2)

Fig. 1.3 Movement speed and local density seen in a Canadian football stadium (adapted from
Chin et al. 2022a, b)
1.2 Literary Background 7

specific information is reviewed herein to illustrate the effect that various stimuli
can have in terms of motivating egress and influencing the behaviour and movement
of people during egress. The reader is encouraged to review the full study which is
available in open access via the author’s publication archive. That study (Young et al.
2021) did not consider holistically mobility related disabilities in these populations
and there is still a requisite need of study. Table 1.1 lists the primary studies and the
evacuation stimuli considered in Young et al. (2021).
All film from studies normal and high motivation were analyzed individually by
multiple members of the authors’ research team and results were later compared to
reduce subjectivity of visual observations. Flow counts were also performed at the
exits by counting the number of patrons passing through at approximately five second
intervals and were added into the timeline after the flows were determined. This was
the same procedure used to count exit use proportions for wayfinding behaviour.
In the normal and high motivation evacuation studies, two carefully selected
vantage points in the stadium were recorded, as displayed in Fig. 1.4. Dimensions for
gates and stadium were taken from a CAD file provided by the stadium. Each gate is
2.54 m wide at its entrance, which is the narrowest point, and the walkways leading
to these exits are each 2.89 m wide. Artificially induced events have ethical issues
and a drill could not be relied upon to study effects of egress. Instead, the authors
focused on adverse weather, such as a sudden storm, which itself has limitations as
people will not be moving with same urgency, people who need assistance may not
be waiting, or people may not be using the same routes. It also implies that people
will need more space in their evacuation due to the use of umbrellas. A rain event
(storm) would induce an evacuation of the tennis stadium as the play of the game
would be suspended. It should be noted that not all sports will follow this evacuation
procedure; in Canadian football for example, play will not stop when rain occurs
and is continuous. It should also be noted that it would not be possible to control
the occupancy of the stadium the moment of downpour. Therefore, as indicated in
the above table the number of spectators is of low capacity. Figure 1.5 illustrates
imagery taken from the rainfall event.
The fire egress study reviews the event of a localized fire at a Canadian Football
stadium (the same stadium as noted in Chin et al. 2022a, b). Recorded footage comes
from seven short films shared by spectators to the authors. The focus of the case study
herein was on the localized stand area. Clear footage for the adjacent stands was not
publicly available.
Figure 1.6 describes the percent population egressed with time and the flow of
persons per minute per exit width with time for the standard and high-motivation

Table 1.1 Egress scenarios collected and studied by Young et al. (2021)
Stadium type Filming date Attendance who egressed Egress type
Tennis 2019 12,000 Normal (post-game)
Tennis 2019 2000 High-motivation (rain)
Football 2018 128 (one stand) Emergency (fire)
8 1 Introduction to Pedestrian Movement and Behaviour in Stadia

Fig. 1.4 Filming locations for normal and high motivation egress

egresses, respectively taken at the same two gates ‘B’ and ‘C’. The normal post-
game egress was very long and distributed (spread out). The first major spectator
egress starts at time 0:00 with the completion of the game. Egress slows at around
1:40. At 1:40, an interview with the winner begins and is broadcasted in the stand
jumbo screen. During the interview, egress slows down. The interview ends at 3:48
where those in attendance begin applause, followed by the next major spectator
egress at 3:57–6:50. During this time, the greatest flow is recorded as 89 ped/min/
width. From 6:50 to the end, the remaining 20% slowly dissipate (see Fig. 1.7).
In direct comparison, the egress behaviour observed for the high motivation rain
evacuation displayed a very different trend; the evacuation was faster and steadier (see
Fig. 1.8 adjusted to the same scale as 1.7). The pre-movement time was overall short
(about 10 s), with some spectators (about 5%) beginning their egress before the game
suspension announcement. The rain quickly intensified, potentially subverting the
optimism for spectators that the rain would be minor and leading to a greater incentive
for people to seek shelter inside the back of the concourse which is not exposed to
weather. The persistence of the rain may have acted as a constant evacuation cue
to which the spectators were exposed. The greater flow observed is what led to
queuing and congestion that was unseen in the regular egress (see next section). It
is important to remark that peak densities (120 ped/min/m high motivation and 90
ped/min/m normal) seemed to be correlated to the announcer calling the cessation of
activities of the match regardless of the stimuli. However, the densities were higher
with the stimuli despite the lower number of spectators in the stadium.
The total recorded egress for the fire case study at the football stadium was
analyzed as over 2 min 55 s for the fire evacuation at this stadium. Approximately
120 spectators evacuated the local stands from the time that smoke was visible. It
1.2 Literary Background 9

Fig. 1.5 High motivation evacuation showing older person with a ‘cane’

is not clear in the footage if an alarm to evacuate was sounded as the play of the
match continued. It is certain that visible cues for evacuation could be seen by atten-
dees. The origin (00:00 time) is taken as the earliest available footage the authors
obtained, when the fire had already begun, and dark smoke was emanating from
the stands. Despite visible smoke and flames, non-involved fans did not begin to
egress until the small explosion was observed, over 35 s after the start of the video
footage, and more than 30 s after fire was visible. The smoke appears as though it
did not act as a sole cue to evacuate. The explosion correlates to when some of the
pedestrians were seen to move (albeit not to fully evacuate at that point). This may
be an example of normalcy behaviour, as the spectators could have thought that the
10 1 Introduction to Pedestrian Movement and Behaviour in Stadia

Fig. 1.6 Normal versus high 100%


motivation % population 90%
egressed
80%

% Population Egressed
70%
60%

50%

40% Gate B - High Motivation


30% Gate C - High Motivation
20% Gate B - Normal
10%
Gate C - Normal
0%

00:00

01:00

02:00

03:00

04:00

05:00

06:00

07:00

08:00

09:00

10:00

11:00

12:00

13:00
Time (mm:ss)

Fig. 1.7 Normal motivation 120


flow
100 Gate B - Normal
Flow (pedestrians/min)

80
Gate C - Normal

60

40

20

0
00:00

01:00

02:00

03:00

04:00

05:00

06:00

07:00

08:00

09:00

10:00

11:00

12:00

13:00

Time (mm:ss)

Fig. 1.8 High motivation 120


flow
100 Gate B - High Motivation
Flow (pedestrians/min)

80
Gate C - High Motivation

60

40

20

0
00:00

01:00

02:00

03:00

04:00

05:00

06:00

07:00

08:00

09:00

10:00

11:00

12:00

13:00

Time (mm:ss)
1.2 Literary Background 11

situation was somewhat low-risk and normal. There is additional need to study the
effect of multiple layers of senses (smell of smoke, sounds of explosion, feeling of
heat) correlating to the initiation of evacuation by an attendee. For example, even
after the explosion, most spectators only shifted over a few seats, and it took a few
seconds for another group of spectators to start their egress.
During the stadium fire event, 16% of spectators were observed filming the inci-
dent on their cell phones, sometimes blocking egress routes or even getting closer
to the incident. The continued filming by attendees may also be an example of opti-
mism, as those who chose to film likely assumed that they could do so somewhat
safely, and that there was no danger present in doing so. This filming behaviour
could also be attributed to bandwagon behaviour, as one person filming influences
another and so on. Additionally, this could be an example of attentional behaviour as
spectators are focused on the event as it unfolds, missing potential cues as the situa-
tion evolves. An illusion of control can be observed after the banner catches fire, as
some members attempt actions to keep their fire under control, despite lacking a fire
extinguisher. Bandwagon and authority behaviors were also seen as most masked
individuals stayed together in the stands, with some following one flag-bearer when
he made his way to the exit. The authors though suggest that the behaviour being
seen is more akin to a social identity being developed among the fire setters (see
Templeton et al. 2015). There is a need to further study in stadium fires the filming
behaviour relating to social responsibility for gathering evidence of for police or
stadium management. The sharing of the film to the public is an example of this.
The filming behavior seen in this stadium study can be supported by very similar
behaviors presented at two notable stadium fire case studies—the recent 2019 fire at
Nissan Stadium, and the historic fire at Bradford City Stadium in 1985—discussed
further in Young et al. (2021).
Behavioral similarities can be drawn between the three egress stimuli studies.
All three took place in a Canadian sporting stadium and resulted in an effectively
complete egress of spectators. Of the two non-standard egress events, both occurred
under high-motivation stimuli (rain and fire). All scenarios included some degree of
influence of authority to prompt or influence evacuation, whether from announcers or
stadium staff themselves. However, significant differences were also observed with
regards to total egress times, pre-movement, behaviour, and observed congestion.
Despite the significantly larger population and size of the rain event, total egress
times were less than the observed time for all of the emergency fire events considered.
The authors believe that this is heavily influenced by the perception of threat commu-
nicated by the authority figure—for example, in all fire case studies, the size of the fire
correlated to the urgency of the staff to evacuate spectators. The stimulus of the rain
also affects all people in the stadium which may have caused increased congestion of
all egress routes whereas the fire event was a highly localized event so levels of high
motivation were differently spread between the two events. Higher pre-movement
times in fire scenarios contributed to the longer egress times, though where staff was
unsuccessful in having members within the stand leave which possibly leads to the
role of social identities and group formations within the stands (i.e., those filming or
those causing vandalism for small examples).
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Title: Neither Jew nor Greek


a story of Jewish social life

Author: Violet Guttenberg

Release date: November 1, 2023 [eBook #72000]

Language: English

Original publication: London: Chatto & Windus, 1902

Credits: Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team


at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from
scanned images of public domain material from the Google
Books project.)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NEITHER


JEW NOR GREEK ***
CONTENTS
FOOTNOTES
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE

NEITHER JEW NOR GREEK

NEITHER JEW NOR


GREEK
A STORY OF JEWISH SOCIAL LIFE

BY
VIOLET GUTTENBERG

LONDON
CHATTO & WINDUS
1902

PRINTED BY
WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,
LONDON AND BECCLES.

TO
MY FRIEND

MARIE CORELLI

AS A SLIGHT TRIBUTE TO HER

GENIUS

THIS BOOK IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED

CONTENTS

BOOK I

PROBATION
CHAPTER PAGE
I. A Marriage of Convenience 1
II. Introduces a Sweet and Lovable Jewish Girl 8
III. The Barrier of Race and Faith 17
IV. Geoffrey receives Unpalatable Advice 25
V. The Friedbergs of Maida Vale 34
VI. An Academy Student 43
VII. Enter—David Salmon 52
VIII. At Synagogue on New Year’s Day 60
IX. Luncheon for Three 69
X. A Gold Nugget and a Diamond Ring 77
XI. Under the Mistletoe 88
XII. David Salmon pays a Visit of Condolence 99
XIII. The Social Ethics of Judaism 110

BOOK II

THREE YEARS AFTER


I. Celia makes her Professional Début in London 125
II. A New Project discussed 136
III. Fitzjohn’s Avenue, Hampstead,—or Jerusalem? 147
IV. A Letter from Australia 157
V. The Wiltons of Woodruffe 165
VI. Celia’s Awakening 173
VII. White Heather 182
VIII. The Ring returned 191
IX. An Outcast in Israel 199
X. Strelitzki paves the Way for his Revenge 210
XI. The Stannard Ball, and after—An Eventful Night 223
XII. A Woman’s Love 237
XIII. The Acme Furnishing Company 251
“The Voice of the Charmer,” and an Unexpected
XIV. Meeting 263
XV. Ninette tells her Story 276
XVI. The Darkness deepens around Ninette 291
XVII. Both Sides of the Curtain 305
XVIII. “Neither Jew nor Greek”—One God over All 319
BOOK I

PROBATION

NEITHER JEW NOR GREEK

CHAPTER I

A MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE

“If you ever do get married, girls,” Adeline was saying, as she
contemplated her wedding-dress, which lay spread out on the bed, “see to it
that you get men, and not broomsticks.”
“I think I would rather have a broomstick than some men,” said the
youngest sister Di. “Because a broomstick is at least inoffensive; whereas a
man with a temper would be a positive nuisance.”
“I wouldn’t give a halfpenny for a man without a temper,” put in Lottie,
with a shrug. “Look at old Solomon, for instance. He is as meek as Moses.
Whenever Mrs. Sol tells him to do anything, he folds his hands, and says,
‘Yes, my dear, immediately,’ and goes and does it at once. If she told him to
go and drown himself, I believe he would say, ‘Yes, my dear, immediately,’
from sheer force of habit.”
“That shows Mrs. Sol’s cleverness,” said Adeline with a sigh. “She must
have broken him in when he was young and pliable. My future husband is
neither young nor pliable. Oh, girls, I wonder what sort of a husband Mike
will make.”
It was the eve of Adeline’s wedding. She was the eldest daughter, and
the first to leave the parental roof. “Adeline is a smart girl, and will do well
for herself,” her fond mother had been wont to say: and Adeline certainly
had done well, according to her parents’ ideas, for she had secured Michael
Rosen, the proprietor of the Acme Furnishing Company—a man who had
come over from Poland twenty years ago to start life (English life) as an
itinerant vendor of jewellery, and who was now at the head of the
furnishing trade in his particular line. Adeline’s parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Friedberg, had been introduced to him by the minister of the synagogue
which they attended, with the understanding, that if the parties came to
terms, and a marriage ensued, the Rev. Isaac Abrahams should pocket an
ample commission.
At the wedding-breakfast, which took place at the Hotel Cecil, the Rev.
Isaac, in the course of his speech, lightly mentioned the fact that marriages
were made in heaven, and unblushingly thanked Providence for having
brought the happy bridal couple together. Every one remarked how
touchingly and beautifully he spoke.
It is not so difficult to give an eloquent speech when the champagne
flows as freely as water, and one has a substantial cheque snugly reposing
in one’s pocket-book. The Rev. Isaac Abrahams was a happy man that day;
he possessed feelings of benevolence towards all mankind.
Adeline looked very charming in her bridal finery, and excited envy in
the hearts of a good many mothers and daughters present. She had a choral
and floral wedding, a full account of which, including a list of all the
wedding presents, would appear in the Jewish World and the Queen; and
she was the prospective mistress of a beautiful house in Fitzjohn’s Avenue,
Hampstead, and another in Brunswick Terrace, Brighton. Could any girl
wish for more? True, the bridegroom would never see forty again, and he
was neither good-looking nor well-bred; but wealth covers a multitude of
other deficiencies, and one cannot have everything. So, every one agreed
that Adeline was a very fortunate girl, and Adeline herself thought so too.
She was ecstatically happy for exactly twenty-four hours after the
ceremony.
The first part of their honeymoon was spent at a farm-house ten miles
from anywhere, where, if they had been so inclined, they could have made
love to their heart’s content, without the least fear of any disturbance. Mike
chose this place because his bride had once remarked in his hearing that she
adored the country—which she did in the abstract.
It is so nice to think of green fields, and leafy lanes, and bleating lambs,
and twittering birds—when one is in town.
Adeline had never spent a whole day in Mike’s company before, and
very soon grew tired of his society. During their short engagement he had
come to see her every evening, but had spent most of his time in the smoke-
room with her father, and she had seen very little of him. Perhaps, if she had
seen more of him, she would not have become his wife. Now that she was
entirely dependent upon him for companionship, however, she wondered
how they would get on together. His sole topic of conversation was
furniture—“ferniture,” he pronounced it. His had been one of the first firms
to introduce the “easy payments” system on an extensive scale, and Mike
was justly proud of the fact. Adeline wondered, a trifle contemptuously, if
he considered her part of his household “ferniture.” She was at least
ornamental, if not altogether useful.
Life at the farm was not exciting, and at the end of the third day, the
young bride had a bad attack of the blues. She was not particularly
interested in watching the pigs fed and the cows milked; and what was the
good of all her pretty frocks and lovely jewels when there was no one to see
and admire them. It was all very well for Mike. He sat on the top of a
haystack, dressed in flannels, nearly all day; and as long as he had a fat
cigar to smoke, a glass of whisky to drink, and a furniture catalogue to read,
he was perfectly happy. But even he was bored when, on the fourth day, it
began to rain, and forgot to leave off; and when Friday came round, he
suggested a trip to Blackpool, to which his wife willingly agreed.
Blackpool was a decided improvement to the farm, but the wet weather
followed them even there, so, at the end of a very dull fortnight, they turned
their faces homewards. It was quite delightful to see dear old smoky
London once more.
Adeline lost no time in going to see her family, and went the same
afternoon that they returned. Mike was obliged to go straight off to
business, but she was not sorry to have to go alone. Her visit was quite a
surprise, for they were not expected home for at least another week. Mr. and
Mrs. Friedberg were out, she was told, but the girls were at home, and
received her with rapturous exclamations of delight and astonishment. They
carried her off to her old bedroom to take off her things, and plied her with
questions which she could not possibly answer all at once. She hugged them
all round, Prince, the pug, included; then she sat down on the bed, and
indulged in a good cry, after which she felt considerably better.
The girls were filled with consternation. They had never seen Adeline
cry before. Had Mike been doing anything to vex her? No? Then, what on
earth was she crying for? Di ran for smelling-salts, and Lottie fetched
brandy; in vain Adeline protested that she needed neither.
“You must think me a little fool, girls,” she sobbed, copiously drying her
tears. “It was the excitement of seeing you again, I suppose. I shall feel
much better when I have had some tea.”
She made them promise not to tell her parents what a silly girl she was;
and then brightened up, and told them of all she had seen and done.
By the time Mr. and Mrs. Friedberg arrived, she was all smiles again,
and they were delighted to see her looking so well.
“Married life agrees with you, evidently,” her mother remarked, as she
gave her a prolonged and audible kiss on either cheek. “You are looking
splendid, Addie. Mr. Cohen’s nephew—not the one who married Sol
Benjamin’s niece, but the other one—saw you on the pier at Blackpool, and
said that you and Mike were so taken up with lovemaking, that you never
even acknowledged his existence.”
“It was very windy on the pier,” said Adeline apologetically. “It was all I
could do to keep my hat on. I did not notice any one who was passing.”
“No, of course not,” put in Mr. Friedberg, with a wink. “No one would
expect you to. By-the-by, what do you think of your house, Addie? It’s
’ansome, isn’t it? That’s the best of having a husband in the furnishing line.
Mike let me have everything at cost price. When these girls get
chosanim,”[1] with a sly look at his other daughters, “they shall set up
housekeeping in grand style too.”
Was she never going to get away from that wretched furniture? Adeline
was sick of the very word.
“The next wedding we have in the family,” remarked Mrs. Friedberg,
apropos of nothing, “I shall put out a notice—‘No electro plate received
here.’ It’s simply scandalous the number of fish-carvers you received, and
hardly any of them silver. And fancy that Mrs. Moses sending a rubbishing
cake-basket, after all the kindness and hospitality we’ve shown her. I don’t
know how people can be so mean.”
The clock struck six, and Adeline rose to go. She must be home to have
dinner with Mike, she said, and it was a good way from Maida Vale to
Fitzjohn’s Avenue. She wanted to take Lottie and her young brother Victor
back with her, but her mother was sure Mike would prefer to spend his first
evening at home with his wife alone.
Mrs. Friedberg possessed some curious ideas. She knew, and did not
pretend to ignore the fact, that her daughter’s marriage with Michael Rosen
was a made-up match, and that, had the bridegroom been less wealthy, or
the bride less attractive, the marriage would have never taken place; yet she
persisted in thinking and saying that the bridal pair were very much in love
with each other.
Adeline, like most Jewish girls of the present day, had been taught to
place her affections in accordance with her parents’ wishes. The idea of
falling in love with anybody had never occurred to her. She was a sensible
girl, and knew that even if she so desired—and she did not desire it—she
could never marry a poor man, or a Christian, so she had resigned herself to
the inevitable, and had accepted Michael Rosen without a protest. Mike was
as good as any other rich Jew she had met, and even if he were of the
“broomstick” order of men, he was at least, as Di had said, inoffensive.
If only she could break him of that detestable habit of talking “shop”
wherever he went! She would have to teach him that there were other
subjects of interest to the generality of people as well as his beloved
“ferniture.”

CHAPTER II

INTRODUCES A SWEET AND LOVABLE JEWISH GIRL

If you had asked who was the most popular man in Durlston, you would
have been told, without a moment’s hesitation, that his name was Herbert
Karne. Broad-chested, large-hearted, and liberal-minded, Herbert won the
hearts of all with whom he came in contact, by his cheery geniality and his
consummate tact. He was a Jew, but he was also an English gentleman, and
was treated as such by the members of the social circle in which he moved.
Durlston was an uninteresting little town not many miles from
Manchester. There was a very large boot and shoe manufactory at one end
of the tiny High Street, and the population of the town was considerably
increased by the factory labourers and their families. These were mostly
Jews, very poor Jews, who had recently emigrated from Roumania and
were glad to get work, even though it were at almost starvation wages.
Mendel & Co. secured them directly they arrived in Houndsditch, and
packed them off to the Durlston manufactory as occasion required. They
were easily satisfied and obsequious, these poor Jews, and seemed to be
able to exist on next to nothing.
Herbert Karne lived with his half-sister in a pretty country house—The
Towers—just outside the town. He was an artist by profession and a
romancist by nature. He took the greatest interest in the little Jewish colony
which had sprung up almost beneath his windows, and it was his pleasure to
protect the rights of the colonists against the cut-throat practices of their
employers. He agitated for shorter hours and better pay, and, for fear of
being boycotted, Messrs. Mendel & Co. were obliged to make concessions.
These poor Jews had no spirit of their own; they were utterly
downtrodden with the effect of oppression and destitution: so Karne was
determined to defend their cause, and he became their firm friend and ally.
Whenever a new batch of Jews arrived in Durlston, he took them in hand
at once. He anglicized them, and made them suppress their Jewish
idiosyncrasies. With the help of his half-sister Celia, and a few friends, he
organized a night school, and taught them to read and write. He managed to
enlist the sympathy of the most influential people in the county on their
behalf, and got up all sorts of literary and musical entertainments, in order
to brighten their empty lives. The educating and uplifting of these poor
waifs of humanity was Herbert’s hobby; he entered into it heart and soul.
There was no synagogue in Durlston, the nearest one being in
Manchester, so he arranged to have divine service in the schoolroom every
Saturday morning, at which Emil Blatz, the foreman of the factory,
officiated. Herbert himself gave the lecture as a rule, and preached not from
a religious so much as from an ethical standpoint. He endeavoured to instil
into his hearers his own high standard of honour and equity; he wanted to
broaden their ideals, and to make them true to the noble instincts of their
ancient race and faith.
And in a great measure he succeeded. There were very few who came
under Herbert Karne’s influence who did not benefit by it. He imbued them
with self-respect, and gave them back their sense of manhood. When they
left the factory—generally to better their position in some way—they were,
most of them, better men and nobler Jews than when they had entered it.
Their backs were no longer bowed with the yoke of oppression. They held
their heads erect, and were able once again to look the whole world in the
face.
It was a Sunday afternoon in late summer, and Karne’s grounds were
thrown open to receive his friends and protègèes. A small piano had been
brought out on the lawn, and somebody was playing one of Strauss’ most
inspiriting waltzes. The men smoked, and nodded their heads to the music,
and talked to each other of the hardships of bygone days. The women
darned their stockings, and watched pretty Miss Celia flitting about in her
white dress, with a sweet smile and a kindly word for each one of them. The
dark-eyed children chased each other over the turf, danced round the piano,
and enjoyed themselves thoroughly. Some of them wandered towards the
studio, and, standing before the long French windows, gazed with feelings
of awe at the paintings which were the handiwork of their benefactor. How
lovely it must be to be able to paint wonderful pictures like those, they
thought!
Herbert Karne was employed in amusing the babies. They kept him fully
occupied, and demanded all his attention. One little olive-skinned maiden
sat on his knee; another tugged at his hair; and a third played with his
watch-chain. Their host enjoyed it all quite as much as they did themselves;
he was passionately fond of children.
A gentleman was coming out of the house and across the lawn. Mr.
Karne handed the children back to their mothers, and came forward to greet
him.
“Glad to see you, Geoffrey,” he said, as they shook hands. “Celia was
just wishing that you were here. They wanted her to sing, but she was quite
at a loss without you to play her accompaniments. By-the-by, Geoff, it’s
quite decided; she is to go away.”
The young man’s face fell perceptibly. “I am very sorry,” he said, and his
voice was quite husky. “But I think you are quite right, Karne. Celia has a
great future before her, and she is utterly wasted here in this sleepy little
place. With her voice, and her personality, she will have all London at her
feet some day. You will send her to Marchesi in Paris, I suppose?”
“No; Professor Bemberger thinks she will do just as well at the Academy
in London, or, at least, until her voice is more fully developed. I did not like
the idea of sending her abroad. We have friends in London, and she will not
feel so isolated there.”
They moved up to where Celia was standing—a tall and well-developed
girl, with a quantity of red-gold hair, hazel eyes, and fair complexion. She
had a short high-bridged nose, and a sweet refined mouth. Her half-brother
had once painted her as Hypatia; her features were distinctly Grecian in
type.
She turned round at their approach, and extended her hand to the new-
comer with a cordial greeting.
Geoffrey Milnes was the son of the Vicar of Durlston, and junior partner
of the chief doctor in the town. He was one of Herbert Karne’s most
intimate friends, and spent a good deal of his spare time at the Towers,
where he had established himself as Celia’s accompanist-in-chief. He
possessed the happy knack of being able to make himself useful in almost
any capacity, and was always so eager to assist in any way he could, that it
was quite a pleasure to accept his services.
Celia offered him a chair and a cup of tea. “What brings you here to-
day?” she asked. “I thought you always spent Sunday with your father.”
“So I do,” he answered, nibbling a tiny piece of cake. “But I happened to
be passing, and, hearing the music, I could not resist the temptation to look
in. If you don’t want me, though, I’ll go away.”
“Of course I want you, and I am very pleased you have come,” she
hastened to assure him. “Only you must think us such Sabbath-breakers.”
“Not at all. You had your Sunday yesterday. We cannot expect you to
keep ours as well.”
“Yesterday was not our Sunday,” Celia corrected him with a smile. “We
had our Sabbath yesterday, but our Sunday is to-day. I have heard so many
people say that we keep our Sunday on Saturday. It sounds Irish to me.”
“It is rather silly, certainly,” he admitted. “But you see we generally
connect Sunday with the Sabbath in our minds. What are you going to
sing?” he added, as Celia selected some music from a portfolio. “Something
of Schubert’s?”
He went to the piano and struck a few chords. His touch was light and
facile, and he was an excellent accompanist on that account. Celia’s voice
was a sweet and very pure soprano, and she already possessed remarkable
power and flexibility for her age. She sang Beethoven’s “Kennst du das
Land?” with expression and a pretty German accent. Her audience listened
entranced. Some of the women put down their sewing; their vision was
clouded by a mist of tears.
“You must not sing any more in the open air,” said Dr. Milnes, as he rose
from the piano. “You will have to take very great care of your voice now
that you have decided to become a professional singer. When are you going
away?”
“On Thursday week,” she answered with a sigh. “The entrance
examination at the Academy is on the Saturday following.”
“So soon!” he said regretfully. “And I suppose you will quite forget the
unsophisticated Durlston people, when you are in the midst of the
excitement of London life?”
“Indeed, I shall not,” she answered him earnestly. “I shall miss them all
dreadfully, especially Herbert and—and you. I wanted Herbert to take a flat
in London so that we could be together, but I cannot get him to leave
Durlston. He thinks the factory people could not do without him, and he
says that he cannot work anywhere but in his own studio. He is painting his
big picture for the Royal Academy, you know.”
“Yes; I shall have to look well after him, or he will knock himself up, as
he did when he was painting his ‘Dawn of Love.’ He allows his pictures to
prey upon his mind, and an attack of insomnia is the usual consequence.”
Celia was about to reply, but the factory people were beginning to
disperse, and their conversation was interrupted.
A little boy ran up to say good-bye. “You promised me a penny if I took
all my medicine last week, Dr. Milnes,” he said, looking up into Geoffrey’s
eyes with an anxious expression on his little Jewish face. “I’ve tooked all
that nasty stuff, so I’ve come for my penny, please.”
Geoffrey felt in his pockets, but no money was forthcoming.
“I never pay my debts on Sunday, young man,” he said with mock
gravity. “I am sorry, but I have no change. Can’t you wait until to-morrow,
when, if you present your bill, it will be settled in due course?”
The child looked bewildered, and considered a moment. “If I wait till to-
morrow, you ought to give me something extra,” he remarked at length; and
then, as the doctor did not answer, “Make it tuppence,” he added
persuasively, “I’ve waited a week already!”
“One hundred per cent. interest? All right,” agreed Geoffrey; and the boy
went away perfectly happy.
“That boy will get on in the world,” observed Celia, smiling: “he has
what Americans call an ‘eye to the main chance.’ ”
“I think we most of us have,” said the young doctor, thoughtfully, “only
we don’t like to admit it, even to ourselves.”
“But some people possess it in a more marked degree than others,” she
pursued, bending down to kiss a little dark-eyed maiden of two years old.
“My people, for instance, are noted for their shrewdness. One seldom finds
a Jew who is not a good man of business, and therefore people—Christian
people—are inclined to think that every Jew must of necessity be a
Shylock. Do you know, I can never quite forgive Shakespeare for creating
such a character?”
“Why not? Shylock was a type of an avaricious money-lender, and there
are many such, even in the present day. And a typical character, in order to
make an impression, is bound to be overdrawn. I am sure that Shakespeare
was not out of sympathy with the Jews. Do you not remember the famous
speech—‘Hath not a Jew eyes,’ etc.? And then there was Shylock’s
daughter Jessica, a sweet and lovable Jewish girl.”
He paused, suddenly recollecting that he was treading on somewhat
dangerous ground, for Celia’s father, Bernie Franks, was a well-known
Capetown financier and former money-lender, and his reputation was not of
the best. Nevertheless, Bernie Frank’s daughter was, like Jessica, a sweet
and lovable girl. Geoffrey Milnes thought her the sweetest girl in the world,
but he had not the courage to tell her so. He had allowed himself to fall in
love with her, knowing that such a love was quite hopeless, and could only
cause them both unhappiness and pain. There was the barrier of race and
faith between them, and he knew that neither his people nor hers would
sanction their marriage, even if Celia really loved him—and he was not sure
that such was the case.
The church bells were ringing for Evensong, and Geoffrey was obliged
to take his leave.
Herbert Karne accompanied him part of his way, and Celia went into the
house singing blithely. She, at least, was perfectly heart-whole as yet.

CHAPTER III

THE BARRIER OF RACE AND FAITH

The studio at the Towers was built on elevated ground at the north side of
the house; and was approached by a short flight of steps leading from the
hall. From where the artist sat at his easel, he could obtain a bird’s-eye view
of Durlston, which consisted of chimney-pots and church spires, relieved by
a small park in the centre of the town, with grassy fields surrounding it;
and, beyond that, the smoky haze of a manufacturing city.
There was not much in the prospect from which to derive inspiration, but
it was all-sufficient for Herbert Karne. He liked to look up from his picture
and note the varying aspect of his garden at the different seasons of the
year. There was always something new to see and admire, for Nature is
ever-changing, and Herbert knew of every bud that blossomed, and every
flower that bloomed.
It was autumn now, the season of decay. The richly tinted leaves were
falling fast, and made quite a thick carpet on the gravelled paths. The trees,
which but a few months ago had been so fresh and green, were adopting
sombre hues of golden-brown. Some of them were already bare, and waved
their gaunt arms in the breeze as though in warning. “Life and youth are
short,” they seemed to say, “and all must die.”
The artist’s brain was busy as he worked. He cast his mind back to the
time of his mother’s death, some twelve years ago. Her second marriage
had not been a success, for Bernie Franks had never properly understood
her refined and gentle nature; so that when, attacked by the money-making
fever, he went off to Johannesburg to make his fortune, his wife, on the plea
of delicate health, remained at home with her two children.
She never saw him again, for he enjoyed life out in South Africa so
much, that he would not trouble to come home, even when he knew that she
was ill. When she died, he wrote for little Celia to come out to him, but
changed his mind before the next mail, and wrote again, saying that her
coming would greatly inconvenience him, and asking Herbert to find a
boarding-school for her.
Karne was studying art in Paris at the time, but he returned to England
before the funeral, and, in accordance with his mother’s last wish, took
charge of his little half-sister. He and Celia were devoted to each other, and
the child begged so hard not to be sent away from him to boarding-school,
that he engaged a housekeeper whom his mother had known, and sent the
little girl to a high school. Her education became his greatest care; and
when she showed marked ability for music, he had her taught by one of the
cleverest professors in the county, in order to have her talent developed in
the best way possible.
And now she had come to womanhood, and was anxious to spread her
wings and see a little more of the world. Her teacher, Professor Bemberger,
had imbued her with the idea that, with a voice like hers, it would be a
thousand pities if she did not become a professional singer. He made her
dissatisfied with her quiet life at Durlston; it was tame and dull, he said. In
London, she would live, not vegetate; and in glowing terms he described
what her life as a successful singer would be.
Her half-brother received the idea with disfavour. Celia had no need to
earn money by her voice, he said, for she was the daughter of a wealthy
man; and in professional life there was disappointment to be met with, as
well as success. He painted the reverse side of the picture, the hard work
and many worrying details which must of necessity arise; but Celia would
not be discouraged, and, as she had so set her heart on it, he reluctantly
gave his consent. Now, however, that her going was decided, and
everything definitely arranged, he wondered if he had done right after all.
Celia, besides being an accomplished musician, was a beautiful and
winsome girl, and although not altogether lacking in savoir faire, possessed
very little knowledge of the world. Might not her beauty prove a danger to
her in her new life? Hitherto she had been carefully guarded, for her brother
had himself chosen her friends, and her tastes and ideas had been led in the
right direction. Was he wise in sending her away from his influence, where
she would come into contact with all sorts and conditions of people, and
must inevitably pick up fresh ideas of evil as well as good?
He was so engrossed with these thoughts that he did not notice the click
of the latch as a lady opened the French window from without, and only
when he heard the rustle of silken skirts was he made aware of her
presence. She was a very daintily clad little woman, with a bright face and
vivacious manner. Her blue eyes sparkled with kindliness, and her small
mouth betokened a keen sense of humour.
Lady Marjorie Stonor may have possessed a great many faults, but her
worst enemy could not have accused her of being dull. She was in the habit
of dropping in at the Towers when she knew that she would find the artist at
work, and although she disturbed him seriously with her light chatter,
Herbert could not but be glad to see her, for she had helped him a good deal
with his work amongst the factory people, and was one of Celia’s greatest
friends.
He rose to greet her, and she established herself comfortably in a low
wicker chair. She had come, she said, firstly to bring him an order from the
county hospital for one of the factory men, and secondly to discuss Celia’s
future. She was anxious to know if Mr. Karne were aware that all the
Durlston people were anticipating Celia’s engagement to Dr. Geoffrey
Milnes!
Mr. Karne was not aware of it; he was most astonished; he had never
dreamt of such a thing. He turned round and confronted his interlocutor
with a look of consternation. How on earth could such a rumour have got
about?
Lady Marjorie gave vent to a rippling laugh of amusement.
“Oh, you men!” she exclaimed. “You are as blind as bats, and have no
more perception than a rhinoceros! You have allowed Celia to see Geoffrey
Milnes constantly, to ride with him, drive with him, and sing with him. He
is a nice young fellow, and she is a beautiful girl, and yet you are surprised
that they should fall in love with each other. Do you mean to say, seriously,
that you have never thought of such a contingency, Mr. Karne?”
“Indeed, I have not,” he answered with contracted brows. “I am very
grieved indeed, if such is the case, for nothing but trouble can come of it;
but I think and hope that you are mistaken, Lady Marjorie. If I had had the
faintest idea of such a thing, I should have put a stop to their intimacy long
ago.”
“But why?” she asked eagerly. “He is only a country doctor, it is true,
and has no brilliant prospects, but if they really love each other——”

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