h a house and a few
thousand rubles, all that was necessary for their comfort, and a little
ready money besides. The house alone, not to sin with her tongue, would
bring in enough to make a living. Other people envy us, but it doesn't
happen to please him, and he goes wandering about the world--without a
wife and without a home--a man twenty and odd years old, and without a
home!

The rest of the family were secretly well content to be free of such a
poor creature--"the further off, the better--the shame is less."

A letter from him came very seldom after this, and for the last two
years he had dropped out altogether. Nobody was surprised, for everyone
was convinced that Moisheh would never come to anything. Some told that
he was in prison, others knew that he had gone abroad and was being
pursued, others, that he had hung himself because he was tired of life,
and that before his death he had repented of all his sins, only it was
too late.

His relations heard all these reports, and were careful to keep them
from his mother, because they were not sure that the bad news was true.

Gittel bore the pain at her heart in silence, weeping at times over her
Moishehle, who had got into bad ways--and now, suddenly, this precious
letter with its precious news: Her Moishehle is about to marry, and
invites them to the wedding!

Thus Gittel, lying in bed in her own room, recalled everything she had
suffered through her undutiful son, only now--now everything was
forgotten and forgiven, and her mother's heart was full of love for her
Moishehle, just as in the days when he toddled about at her apron, and
pleased his mother and everyone else.

All her thoughts were now taken up with getting ready to attend the
wedding; the time was so short--there were only three weeks left. When
her other children were married, Gittel began her preparations three
months ahead, and now there were only three weeks.

Next day she took out her watered silk dress, with the green satin
flowers, and hung it up to air, examined it, lest there should be a hook
missing. After that she polished her long ear-rings with chalk, her
pearls, her rings, and all her other ornaments, and bought a new yellow
silk kerchief for her head, with a large flowery pattern in a lighter
shade.

A week before the journey to Warsaw they baked spice-cakes, pancakes,
and almond-rolls to take with her, "from the bridegroom's side," and
ordered a wig for the bride. When her el