e beginning; but the end is still far off. If you
showed yourself to-morrow before the people, their wrath would flare
up again. Go! go into the world. You have youth on your side and
courage; life is before you."

"Sometime you will come back and put an end to our sins and darkness.
We have many diamonds, but they want sifting. Go forth now, to
conquer. Be like Baale Tressim, armour-clad like our ancestors; and
my blessing and the blessings of those who, like me, wished, but
could not--longed, but did not obtain what they longed for--be with
you."

They exchanged farewells, and Ber disappeared as silently as he had
come. The deep silence of the whole house seemed to bid the
excommunicated youth to go hence.

When he left the house it had begun to dawn. The market square and
the adjacent streets were asleep. The whole town was wrapped in the
gray mist of an almost autumnal morning.

He swiftly crossed the mist-covered fields to get away, and say
farewell to her who had promised to be a faithful Rachel to him, and
to claim from her his treasure.

The door and window of the little hut stood wide open.

"Golda!" he called softly, "Golda!"

There was no answer.

He repeated his call, but the silence remained unbroken. He drew
nearer, and looked at the spot where old Abel was wont to sit. It was
empty.

A strange, undefined dread took hold of him.

He looked around, up the hills and along the fields, and called in a
loud voice:

"Golda!"

There was a slight rustle not far off. It came from a wild rosebush,
from among the branches of which rose the sleepy figure of little
Lejbele.

Meir went quickly up to him. The child disengaged himself from the
branches, and put his hand under his coat.

"Where is Golda?" asked Meir.

Lejbele did not answer, but handed him the roll of papers.

Meir bent towards the child.

"Who gave you that?"

"She," answered Lejbele, pointing to the hut.

"When did she give it to you?"

The child answered:

"When the people were coming she rushed out of the hut, woke me, and
put the roll under my coat, and said, 'Give it to Meir when he
comes.'"

Meir began to tremble.

"And afterwards?" he asked, "afterwards?"

"Afterwards, Morejne, she hid me in the bush, and went back to the
hut."

"How many people were there?"

"Two, Morejne, three--ten--I don't know."

"And what did they do? What did the people do?"

"The people came, Morejne, and shouted and screamed at her