meant any of us.'

'But we must not shame our brother in public,' urged the minister. 'It
is written in the Talmud that he who does so has no share in the world
to come.'

'Well, you shamed us all,' retorted Barzinsky. 'A stranger would
imagine we were a congregation of Sabbath-breakers.'

'But there wasn't any stranger,' said the minister.

'There was Simeon Samuels,' the _Parnass_ reminded him. 'Perhaps your
sermon against Sabbath-breaking made him fancy he was just one of a
crowd, and that you have therefore only hardened him----'

'But you told me to preach against Sabbath-breaking,' said the poor
minister.

'Against the Sabbath-breaker,' corrected the _Parnass_.

'You didn't single him out,' added Barzinsky; 'you didn't even make it
clear that Joseph wasn't myself.'

'I said Joseph was a goodly person and well-favoured,' retorted the
goaded minister.

The _Parnass_ took snuff, and his sneeze sounded like a guffaw.

'Well, well,' he said more kindly, 'you must try again to-morrow.'

'I didn't undertake to preach every Saturday,' grumbled the minister,
growing bolder.

'As long as Simeon Samuels keeps open, you can't shut,' said Solomon
angrily.

'It's a duel between you,' added Peleg.

'And Simeon actually comes into to-morrow's _Sedrah_' (portion),
Barzinsky remembered exultantly. '"And took from them Simeon, and
bound him before their eyes." There's your very text. You'll pick out
Simeon from among us, and bind him to keep the Sabbath.'

'Or you can say Satan has taken Simeon and bound him,' added the
_Parnass_. 'You have a choice--yourself or Satan.'

'Perhaps you had better preach yourself, then,' said the minister
sullenly. 'I still can't see what that text has to do with
Sabbath-breaking.'

'It has as much to do with Sabbath-breaking as Potiphar's wife,'
shrieked Solomon Barzinsky.

VI

'"And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved. Joseph
is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin."'

As the word 'Simeon' came hissing from the preacher's lips, a
veritable thrill passed through the synagogue. Even Simeon Samuels
seemed shaken, for he readjusted his praying-shawl with a nervous
movement.

'My brethren, these words of Israel, the great forefather of our
tribes, are still ringing in our ears. To-day more than ever is Israel
crying. Joseph is not--our Holy Land is lost. Simeon is not--our Holy
Temple is razed to the ground. One thing only is left us--one bles