e 'black man'?" asked Meir in astonishment.

"Rabbi Isaak Todros!" answered Golda softly--almost in a whisper.

At the sound of that name pronounced by Golda, Meir's face, formerly
beaming, full of pity, blushing with emotion, quivered nervously. He
grew suddenly silent and looked into space with eyes filled with
gloomy lights. He became so thoughtful that a deep line appeared on
his white forehead. It seemed to him that he had forgotten that he
was not alone.

"Meir," sounded in a soft voice, close to his shoulder, "of what are
you thinking, and why have your eyes become so sad? Your name means
'light.' The sun of joy--does it not shine always for you?"

The young man, without changing the direction of his glance, shook
his head.

"No," he answered, "there is a deep sorrow in my heart."

The girl bent toward him.

"Meir," she exclaimed, "and from where does this sorrow come to your
heart?"

He was silent for a while, and then answered softly:

"From the fact that there are black people among us, and such
darkness--such darkness!"

The girl dropped her head, and repeated like a sad echo:

"Ah! Such darkness!"

Meir continued to look into space, toward where a long strip of the
forest separated the golden valley from the purple sky.

"Golda!" he said softly.

"What, Meir?"

"Did you never wish to see and know what there is beyond that thick,
high forest--what is going on in the broad world?"

The girl was silent. From her attitude--her body bent toward the
young man, her wide-open eyes full of fire--it could be seen that
when she could look at him she did not wish to see anything else in
the broad world.

But Meir spoke further:

"I would like to borrow wings from a bird, in order to go beyond that
forest--to fly far away!"

"Don't you like the beautiful house of the rich Saul? Don't you like
the faces of your brothers, relatives, and friends, that you wish for
the wings of a bird to fly away?" whispered the girl, with stifled
grief or fright.

"I like the home of Saul, my grandfather," whispered the thoughtful
youth, "and I love my brothers and all my relatives; but I would like
to fly beyond that forest in order to see everything and become very
wise, and then return here and tell to those who are walking in
darkness and wearing chains, what they should do in order to leave
the darkness and throw off the chains."

After a time of silence he spoke further.

"I should like to know how the s