y a triumphal one. In the twinkling of an eye a
crowd of children of all ages and both sexes were following them,
and, in the beginning with muffled exclamation, but finally with loud
shouting, they began to run after them. Soon older people joined the
children, and even more prominent families appeared on the piazzas of
their houses surrounding the square. In the gate of the school-yard
stood the melamed, in his usual primitive dress and as though he
could not believe the evidence of his own widely-open eyes. He looked
at the astonishing show passing the square.

The greatest attention was drawn by the young couple walking ahead;
Leopold, clad in his elegant coat, and with a cigarette in his mouth,
and Mera, in her very balloon-like bright dress, leaning on her
cousin's arm and drawing herself up in order to show off to advantage
her society manners.

Eli walked as though on live coals, but Pani Hannah strode forward as
though crowned with laurels. Her sister looked around the dark crowd
with half-closed eyes and head carried high.

"Zi! Zi! a shejne puryc! a shejne panienkies!" shouted the children,
running, jumping, pointing with their fingers, and raising clouds of
dust with their feet.

"Who are they? Are they Jews?" asked the older people, pointing at
Leopold's short coat and Cigarette.

"Misnagdim!" suddenly shouted some voice in the crowd, and a small
stone, thrown by an unknown hand, passed close to Leopold's head. The
young man grew pale and threw away the cigarette--the cause of the
general scandal. Eli frowned. But Pani Hannah raised her head still
higher and said quite loudly to her sister:

"Nu, we must forgive them. They are so ignorant!"

Leopold, however, did not forgive the stone thrown at him. This could
be seen by his frightened eyes and tightened lips when he entered the
Ezofowichs' parlour.

There on the sofa--the place of honour--sat old Saul surrounded by
his sons, sons-in-law, and several older grandchildren. At one of the
windows, as usual, sat the always slumbering great-grandmother. At
the other window stood Meir.

When Witebski's family entered the parlour, Meir merely glanced at
Mera, as though she was perfectly indifferent to him, but he looked
sharply, inquisitively, at Leopold. He evidently desired to approach
as soon as possible the man who came from the broad world, and
penetrate him through and through.

For a while only preliminary conversation and loud greetings were
h