le body in two; but he did not kiss his hand as usual, or call
out joyfully:

"Ai! what a visitor, what a welcome visitor! Morejne!", he exclaimed,
"I have heard of what you have done. The children from school came
running past, and said you had knocked the melamed under the table
and rescued my Lejbele from his powerful hands. You did it out of
kindness, but it was a rash deed, Morejne, and a sinful one, and will
bring me into great trouble. Reb Moshe will not take Lejbele back,
nor receive any of my other boys, and they will remain stupid and
ignorant. Ai! Ai! Morejne, you have brought trouble upon me and upon
yourself with your kindly heart."

"Do not trouble about me, Shmul; never mind about what I have brought
upon myself, but take pity upon your child, and at least do not whip
him at home; he suffers enough at school."

"And what if he suffers?" exclaimed Shmul. "His fathers went to
school, and I went there and suffered the same; it cannot be helped;
it is necessary."

"And have you never thought, Shmul, that things might be different?"
questioned Meir gently.

Shmul's eyes flashed.

"Morejne!" he exclaimed, "do not utter sinful words under my roof. My
hut is a poor one, but, thanks to the Lord, we keep the law and obey
the elders. The tailor Shmul is very poor, and by the work of his
hands supports his wife, eight children, and his blind mother. But he
is poor before the Lord, and before the people, because faithfully he
keeps the covenant and the Sabbath, eats nothing that is unclean,
says all his prayers, crying aloud before the Lord. He does not keep
friendship with the Goims (aliens) as the Lord protects and loves
only the Israelites, and they only possess a soul. Thus lives the
tailor Shmul, even as his fathers lived before him."

When the flexible and fiery Shmul had finished, Meir asked very
gently:

"And were your fathers happy? and you, Shmul, are you happy?"

This question brought before the tailor's eyes a vision of all his
sufferings.

"Ai! Ai! Let not my worst enemy be as happy as I am. The skin sticks
to my bones, and my heart is full of pain."

A deep sigh, from the corner of the room, seemed to re-echo the
tailor's sorrowful outburst.

Meir turned round, and seeing a big shadowy figure in the corner,
asked, "Who is that?"

Shmul nodded his head plaintively and waved his hands.

"It is the carrier, Johel, come to see me. We have known each other a
long time."

At the same time