ood by one of the windows
with his father, and his head swam from the bright light. Mattes stroked
his chin-beard continually, then there was more davvening and more
rocking while they recited the Eighteen Benedictions. The Benedictions
ended, the young man began to trill, but in a weaker voice and without
charm. He was sick of the whole thing, and kept on in the half-hearted
way with which one does a favor. Mattes forgot to look at his
prayer-book, and, standing in the window, gazed at the tree-tops, which
had caught fire in the rays of the setting sun. Nobody was expecting
anything of him, when he suddenly gave a sob, so loud and so piteous
that all turned and looked at him in astonishment. Some of the people
laughed. The prayer-leader had just intoned "Michael on the right hand
uttereth praise," out of the Afternoon Service. What was there to cry
about in that? All the little boys had assembled round Mattes the smith,
and were choking with laughter, and a certain youth, the host's new
son-in-law, gave a twitch to Mattes' Tallis:

"Reb Kozlover, you've made a mistake!"

Mattes answered not a word. The little fellow with the freckles pushed
his way up to him, and imitating the young man's intonation, repeated,
"Reb Kozlover, you've made a mistake!"

Feivke looked wildly round at the bystanders, at his father. Then he
suddenly advanced to the freckled boy, and glared at him with his black
eyes.

"You, you--kob tebi biessi!" he hissed in Little-Russian.

The laughter and commotion increased; there was an exclamation: "Rascal,
in a holy place!" and another: "Aha! the Kozlover smith's boy must be a
first-class scamp!" The prayer-leader thumped angrily on his
prayer-book, because no one was listening to him.

Feivke escaped once more behind the inn, but the whole company of boys
followed him, headed by Leibrutz the driver.

"There he is, the Kozlov lazy booby!" screamed the freckled boy. "Have
you ever heard the like? He actually wanted to fight again, and in our
house! What do you think of that?"

Leibrutz went up to Feivke at a steady trot and with the gesture of one
who likes to do what has to be done calmly and coolly.

"Wait, boys! Hands off! We've got a remedy for him here, for which I
hope he will be thankful."

So saying, he deliberately took hold of Feivke from behind, by his two
arms, and made a sign to the boy with yellow hair.

"Now for it, Aarontche, give it to the youngster!"

The little boy imm