wonder; for they could hardly
believe what I told them was true, till our old lady confirmed our
statements.

"First, they wanted to know how young men and women behaved toward each
other.

"I told them that every man and every woman, whether young or old,
either in the street or in-doors, always shook hands with friends--at
this they looked very surprised and some seemed even horrified,
exclaiming: 'What a sin to commit.' I asked them where it was written
that this was a sin? 'Well,' some replied, 'our parents or husbands say
it is a sin,' 'I don't think it is a sin, but only a custom,' said I.
'But it _is_ a sin,' insisted one little wife of fifteen 'to touch one
another's hands.' I tried to explain to her, but she would not listen to
me and we were on the verge of quarreling but as usual, when there was a
difference of opinion between any of us, we always appealed to our old
lady and she agreed with me that there was no sin in shaking hands.
'Sin,' she said, 'comes from thoughts--if while talking or laughing or
even shaking hands, evil thoughts pass through the minds of men or women
then, and then only, is the act likely to be a sin. In Europe,' she went
on to say, 'it is quite a natural thing for men and women to shake hands
and talk to each other naturally.'

"Then I asked my new friend Huldah (a young wife of fifteen years of
age) to tell us all about her own love-affair and marriage. She was
greatly shocked to hear me speaking of love _before_ marriage--'Such a
thing could never happen to a modest Jewish maiden in those days,' she
said.

"I told her that it did happen in Europe. 'May be,' she replied; 'it may
happen in lands where Jews mix with non-Jews and copy their ways!'

"As I rather liked to tease her, I said she was mistaken, for here in
Jerusalem did the great Rabbi Akiba fall in love with his wife before
marriage. 'Oh, that was quite different!' she replied. 'Not at all,'
said I, for were not feasts and rejoicing held so that youths and
maidens could meet one another in the vineyards and dance in the
meadows?--Look in the Bible,' I continued, 'and you will see it is
mentioned there.' Then all looked abashed. The only one who smiled was
our old lady.

"'Don't unsettle their minds, dear,' she whispered softly to me. 'I
don't want to,' I said; 'I only want to show them that, though such
things are done in other countries, there is no sin in it as they have
been brought up to believe.' 'Well, well!'