d out for him by the hosts, suddenly
jumped from his chair and rushed to the centre of the room.

"Sabbath! Sabbath! Sabbath!"--he shouted, shaking his head and arms
violently. "Fried! Fried! Fried!" he repeated--"the whole celestial
family rejoices and dances in the Heavens! David danced and jumped
before the Arch--why then should not the perfect pious gladden his
heart by dancing and jumping?"

Therefore he danced and jumped around the table.

It would have been interesting for an observer to watch the different
sentiments reflected in the faces of those present who looked at the
ecstatic dance. Old Saul and his sons looked at the dancing figure
with the greatest gravity and attention. Not the slightest quiver of
a smile appeared on their lips. It seemed as though they looked on
the melamed's crazy leaps as the believers look on the performance of
a mystic but holy ceremony. Tallow-haired Ber sat stiff and dignified
also, but he knit his brows almost painfully, and his eyes were cast
on the ground. Meir leaned his head in the palms of both hands, and
it seemed that he neither heard nor saw--or at least tried not to
notice anything. But the women wondered at Reb Moshe's dance; they
moved their bodies to the time beaten by the bare-footed man,
smacking their lips and making signs of admiration with their eyes.
At the lower end of the table, where the boys and girls sat, could be
heard a soft noise, as of gigglings suppressed with effort.

Finally Reb Moshe's strength was exhausted, his body shivering with
enthusiasm, fell to the floor near the big green brick stove. After a
while, however, he rose, laughed aloud, and wiped with the large
sleeve of his shirt, the perspiration bathing his forehead and
cheeks.

Sarah, Saul's daughter, left the table and carried around a large
silver basin filled with water, in which everyone washed his fingers.
Whispering prayers of thanksgiving, those present dipped their hands
in the water and wiped them on a towel suspended from Sarah's
shoulder. The Sabbath feast was ended.

A few moments afterward the table was cleared off. The whole company,
dividing itself into small groups, filled the room with the noise of
loud and animated conversation. Meir, who for a few moments had stood
alone by the window gazing thoughtfully into the darkness of the
evening, approached the group composed of the oldest people, gathered
in the most luxurious part of the room which was ornamented by an