his bleeding face, when he saw the spread Passover table, his
child-soul came back to him, and in a burst of tears he confessed the
diabolical plot against our community, hatched through his
instrumentality by some desperate debtors; how, having raised the cry
of a lost child, they were to have its blood found beneath our Holy
Ark as in some mystic atonement. And while you all lolled joyously at
the _Seder_ table, a bottle of blood lay here instead of the
Consecration wine, like a bomb waiting to burst and destroy us all.'

A shudder of awe traversed the synagogue.

'But the Guardian of Israel, who permits us to sleep on Passover night
without night-prayer, neither slumbers nor sleeps. Maimon had bribed
the _Shamash_ to let him enter the synagogue and replace the
Consecration wine.'

'Red Judah!' It was like the growl of ten thousand tigers. Some even
precipitated themselves upon the writhing wretch.

'Back! back!' cried Ben Amram. 'The Almighty has smitten him.'

'"Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord,"' quoted the Rabbi solemnly.

'Hallelujah!' shouted a frenzied female voice, and 'Hallelujah!' the
men responded in thunder.

'Red Judah had no true belief in the God of Israel,' the physician
went on.

'May he be an atonement for us all!' interrupted the Cantor.

'Amen!' growled the congregation.

'For a hundred roubles and the promise of personal immunity Red Judah
allowed Maimon the _Meshummad_ to change the bottles while all Israel
sat at the Seder. It was because the mob saw the _Meshummad_ stealing
out of the synagogue that they fell upon him for a pious Jew. Behold,
brethren, how the Almighty weaves His threads together. After the
repentant sinner had confessed all to me, and explained how the
Cossacks were to be sent to catch all the community assembled helpless
in synagogue, I deemed it best merely to get the bottles changed back
again. The false bottle contained only bullock's blood, but it would
have sufficed to madden the multitude. Since it is I who have the
blessed privilege of supplying the Consecration wine it was easy
enough to give Maimon another bottle, and armed with this he roused
the _Shamash_ in the dawn, pretending he had now obtained true human
blood. A rouble easily procured him the keys again, and when he
brought me back the bullock's blood, I awaited the sequel in peace.'

'Praise ye the Lord, for He is good,' sang the Cantor, carried away.

'For His mercy endureth for ever,' replie