An old woman who lived in the country recently visited some friends in
the city. During her stay she was taken to see "The Merchant of Venice,"
a play she had witnessed more than thirty years before, and which she
had always had a strong desire to see again. Calling next day, a friend
asked her how the previous night's performance compared with that of
thirty years ago.
"Well," she replied, "Venice seems to have smartened up a bit, but that
Shylock is the same mean, grasping creature that he used to be."