athed in the pink light of the sunset. It is true
that the grass was no longer so green, for it was a little burned by
the beat of the summer sun, but the bushes were in full bloom, and
the scent of the wild flowers filled the air.

Near the grove, under the thickly growing birches, sat a group of
young people. Some of them spoke together in low tones, while others
mechanically plucked the wild plants growing around them, and others
still with their faces turned to the blue sky, in which floated
golden clouds, hummed softly.

The pond, a short way off, was now surrounded with thick bunches of
forget-me-nots and large flowers of the water-plants. On its bank was
seated the motionless figure of a tall slender girl, and beside her,
amid the bushes of sweet-briar, grazed the white goat, plucking the
herbs and leaves.

Meir approached the group of young people who were evidently awaiting
his arrival with some impatience for those who lay in the grass rose
at once on seeing him and sat looking intently into his face. He did
not greet his comrades and did not even look at them, but threw
himself down upon the trunk of a birch tree which had been overthrown
by a storm. He was sad, but perhaps even more angry. The young people
were silent, and looked at him in surprise. Eliezer, who lay in the
grass with his elbow resting against the trunk on which Meir sat, was
the first to speak.

"Well, have you seen him?"

"Have you seen him?" several voices chimed in, "and is he highly
educated and very wise?"

Meir raised his head and said emphatically:

"He is educated, but very stupid."

This exclamation caused great surprise among the young men. After
quite a long silence, Aryel, the son of the magnificent Morejne
Calman, said:

"How can it be that a man is educated, and at the same time stupid?"

"I don't know how it can be," answered Meir, his eyes dilating as
though he saw before him a bottomless precipice.

Then a conversation started, made up of quick questions and answers:

"What did he tell you?"

"What was very stupid?"

"Why did not you ask him about wise things?"

"I did ask him, but he didn't even know what I meant."

"Did he not tell you what he thought of?"

"He told me he thought of how he could best buy a beautiful house
which would bring him an income of two thousand roubles."

"He can think about the house, but about what else does he think?"

"He told me he did not think about anything else."