."

"Countess, I shall not suffer it. Such a thing must not be done in my
house."

"It has to be done in mine," said Countess doggedly.

"I do not forbid thee to show mercy to the child. If he be, as thou
sayest, an orphan and an exile, and thou moreover hast accepted some
fashion of trust with regard to him (however foolish it were to do so),
I am willing that thou shouldst keep him a day or two, till he has
recovered. But then shelter must be sought for him with the Goyim."

"Do you two know," said Countess, in a low voice of concentrated
determination, "that this child's parents, and all of their race that
were with them, have been scourged by the Goyim?--branded, and cast
forth as evil, and have died in the night and in the snow, because they
would _not_ worship idols? These are not of the brood of the priests,
who hate them. The boy is mine, and shall be brought up as mine. I
sware it."

"But not for life?"

"I sware it."

"Did the child's father know what thou hadst sworn? as if not, perchance
there may be means to release thee."

The black eyes flashed fire.

"I tell you, I sware unto him by Adonai, the God of Israel, and He knew
it! In the lowest depths and loftiest heights of my own soul I sware,
and He heard it. I repeated the vow this night, when I clasped the boy
to my heart once more. God will do so to me and more also, if I bring
not the boy unhurt to his father and his mother at the Judgment Day!"

"But, my daughter, if it can be loosed?"

"What do I care for your loosing? He will not loose me. And the child
shall not suffer. I will die first."

"Let the child tarry till he has recovered: did I not say so? Then he
must go forth."

"If you turn him forth, you turn me forth with him."

"Nonsense!"

"You will see. I shall never leave him. My darling, my white
snow-bird! I shall never leave the boy."

"My daughter," said the Rabbi softly, for he thought the oil might
succeed where the vinegar had failed, "dost thou not see that Leo's
advice is the best? The child must tarry with thee till he is well; no
man shall prevent that."

"Amen!" said Countess.

"But that over, is it not far better both for him and thee that he
should go to the Goyim? We will take pains, for the reverence of thine
oath, to find friends of his parents, who will have good care of him: I
promise thee it shall be done, and Leo will assent thereto."

Leo confirmed the words with--"Even so, Cohen!"