was a very rich man, for he had married the only
daughter of his father's brother, who had been a prosperous dealer in
jewelry, and whose possessions he had inherited. A few gossips in the
community hinted now and then that the Rabbi had married for money. But
the women all denied this, declaring that the Rabbi, long ere he went to
Spain, had been in love with "Beautiful Sara," and recalling how she had
awaited his return for seven years, while, as a matter of fact, he had
already wedded her against the will of her father, and even without her
own consent, by the betrothal-ring. For every Jew can make a Jewish girl
his lawful wife, if he can succeed in putting a ring on her finger, and
say at the same time: "I take thee for my wife, according to the law of
Moses and Israel." And when Spain was mentioned, the same gossips were
wont to smile in the same significant manner, all because of a vague
rumor that Rabbi Abraham, though he had studied the holy law
industriously enough at the theological school in Toledo, had
nevertheless followed Christian customs and become imbued with habits of
free thinking, like many of the Spanish Jews who at that time had
attained a very remarkable degree of culture.

And yet in the bottom of their hearts these gossips put no faith in such
reports; for ever since his return from Spain the daily life of the
Rabbi had been pure, pious, and earnest in every way. He performed every
detail of all religious customs and ceremonies with painstaking
conscientiousness; he fasted every Monday and Thursday--only on
Sabbaths and feast days did he indulge in meat or wine; his time was
passed in prayer and study; by day he taught the Law to students, whom
his fame had drawn to Bacharach; and by night he gazed on the stars in
heaven, or into the eyes of Beautiful Sara. His married life was
childless, yet there was no lack of life or gaiety in his home. The
great hall in his house, which stood near the synagogue, was open to the
whole community, so that people went in and out without ceremony, some
to offer short prayers, others to gather news, or to hold a consultation
when in trouble. Here the children played on Sabbath mornings while the
weekly "section" was being read; here people met for wedding and funeral
processions, and quarreled or were reconciled; here, too, those who were
cold found a warm stove, and those who were hungry, a well-spread table.
And, moreover, the Rabbi, as well as his wife, had a m