Three thousand five hundred years ago, Avaris, the city founded by the Hyksos dynasty, already had many craftsmen and merchants from Asia and the Mediterranean. Like the Romans, they worshipped the gods of Ancient Egypt as their own, and their chiefs also called themselves sons of Ra. Unlike the greeks, however, the egyptians drove these nomadic peoples away.
Internationalism and diversity were the hallmarks of cities. The countryside and small towns, by comparison, were relatively homogeneous. People in villages and towns generally all knew one another, which prevented the kind of ignorant indifference found in diverse places. If someone collapsed, no one would stand by and watch them die—unless that unfortunate person was someone hated by both man and god, someone nobody wanted to help. Like the witches accused in Salem: people only kept far away when they saw them, afraid they would fall ill from the girls' magic as well.
Even Christians differed in many ways. In Britain and New England, Wednesday was baking day, when every household baked its own bread. In France, specialized bakeries did the baking. Jacob was a Polish immigrant who had retained some European habits, which was why he wanted to open a bakery in New York.
Americans were especially fond of "homemade," and many households had their own ovens. Not to mention all the bakeries along the roadside, opened with their owners' own property. His dream was lovely, but difficult to realize. If he had been less humane during World War I and looted spoils of war like the other soldiers, perhaps the problem would have been solved. But then he might not have won the favor of Queenie, who could read minds.
The second time Deodat Lawson went to the Nurse household, according to Susanna, was on a Wednesday. In truth, he