e Governor. We can
meet and practise in your Talmud-Torah Hall!'

'The holy hall of study!' gasped the Rabbi. 'Given over to unlawful
meetings!'

'The hooligans will meet there, if you don't,' said David grimly.
'Don't you see it is the safest place for us? The police associate it
only with learned weaklings.'

'Hush, Haman!' said the timber-merchant, and rose to go. David's voice
changed to passion; memories of things he had seen came over him as in
a red mist: an old man scalped with a sharp ladle; a white-hot poker
driven through a woman's eye; a baby's skull ground under a True
Russian's heel. 'Bourgeois!' he thundered, 'I will save you despite
yourselves.' The landlord signalled in a frenzy, but David continued
recklessly, 'Will you never learn manli----'

They flung themselves upon him in a panic, and held him hand-gagged
and struggling upon the bed.

Suddenly a new figure burst into the room. There was a blood-freezing
instant in which all gave themselves up for lost. Their grip on David
relaxed. Then the mist cleared, and they saw it was only Ezekiel
Leven.

'Blessed art thou who comest!' cried David, jumping to his feet. 'You
and I, Ezekiel, will save Milovka.'

'Alas!' Ezekiel groaned. 'I drew a low number--I go to fight for
Russia.'

V

Fifteen thousand roubles were soon collected for the Governor, but
even before they were presented to him the Rabbi, in mortal terror of
that firebrand of a David, had rushed to inquire whether Self-Defence
was legal, and might the Talmud-Torah Hall be legitimately used for
drilling. Sharp came an order that Jews found with firearms or in
conclave for non-religious purposes should be summarily shot. And so,
when the _Shtadlonim_ arrived with the fifteen thousand roubles, the
Governor was able to point out severely that if a _pogrom_ did occur
they would have only themselves to blame. The Jews of Milovka had
begun to carry pistols like revolutionaries; they planned illegal
assemblies in halls; was it to be wondered at if the League of True
Russians grew restive? However, he would do his best with these
inadequate roubles to have extra precautions taken, but let them root
out the evil weeds that had sprung up in their midst, else even his
authority might be overborne by the righteous indignation of the loyal
children of the Little Father. Tremblingly the Ambassadors crept back
with their empty money-bags.

Poor David now found it impossible to get anybody to a m