turban. Her dark eyes often
filled with tears, and her steps were so careful and quiet that even
the pearls which ornamented her neck never made the slightest noise,
and did not interrupt her husband's thoughtfulness.

Sometimes Freida looked sadly at her husband. His sadness made her
sad also, but she did not clearly understand it. Why was he
sorrowful? His riches did not diminish, the children grew healthy,
and everything was as before that quarrel with Reb Nohim and the
finding of those old papers. The loving and wise woman, whose whole
world was contained between the four walls of her home, could not
understand that her husband's spirit was carried into the sphere of
broad ideas--that it was fond of the fiery world, and being driven
out of it by the strength of events, could not be cured of its
longing. She did not know that in this world there were griefs and
longings which had no connection with either parents or with
children, or with wife or with wealth, or with one's house, and that
such griefs and longings of the human spirit are the most difficult
to cure.

Todros was rejoicing, and he called his flock to rejoice with him,
who believed in his wisdom and sanctity. He triumphed, but he desired
to triumph still further. To destroy the Ezofowichs would mean to
destroy the stream which flowed into the future, striving with that
other stream which strove to congeal into ice--into the petrification
of the past. Who knows what may happen in the future? Who knows but
that that cursed family may not give rise to a man strong enough to
destroy the centuries of work achieved by the Todros. If events had
taken another turn, Hersh, with the aid of his friend Edomits, would
already have accomplished this!

As in times of yore, his ancestor Michael was accused, so now Hersh
was assailed with reproaches of all kinds. In the synagogue they
shouted at him that he did not observe the Sabbath, that he was
friendly with gojs (any man who does not follow Judaism is a goj),
and that he sat at their tables and ate meat which is not kosher.
That in contentious affairs he avoided Jewish courts, and went to the
tribunals of the country; that he did not obey the superiors of
kahal, and he even dared to criticise them that he did not respect
Jewish authorities in general, and Reb Nohim in particular.

Hersh defended himself proudly, refuting some of the objections and
acknowledging some of the others, but justifying them by reasons,