away, you beggar!' the people shouted to her, but the master
raised her from the ground and pressed her to his breast; for the man
was Joseph Akiba, and the woman was his wife Rachel."

"'Behold the fountain which supplied my sad heart with the drink of
hope, when my head was in the depths of great loneliness and work.'"

"Thus spake the master to the people, and wished to place on Rachel's
head a crown of gold and pearls."

"'Thou, Rachel,' said he, 'hast taken from thy head thy beautiful
hair, in order to nourish my hungry mouth. Now I will ornament thy
forehead with a rich garland.'"

"But she stopped his arm, and raising to him her eyes, which had
again become as beautiful as of yore, she said to him, 'Rabbi, your
glory is my crown.'"

The young man finished the story, and turned his eyes on the girl
sitting beside him.

Golda's face was all aflame, and her eyes were full of tears.

"Do you find my story beautiful?" asked Meir. "Yes; beautiful
indeed!" she answered, and with her head leaning on the palm of her
hand she balanced her slender figure to and fro for a while, as if
under the influence of ecstasy and drowsiness. Suddenly she grew
pale, and drew herself up.

"Meir," she exclaimed, "if you were Akiba, and I the daughter of the
rich Kolba Sabua, I would do for you the same as the beautiful Rachel
did for him!"

She seized her superb tresses, black as ebony, which hung carelessly
down her back, and twisting it around her head, she said:

"I have exactly the same black crown as Rachel!" Then she raised her
deep, fiery eyes to Meir, and said boldly, gravely, without a smile,
blush, or exaltation:

"Meir, for you I would take my eyes out of my head! I would not have
any use for them if I could not look at you."

A strong flush covered the young man's face, but it was not mere
bashfulness, but emotion. The girl was so naive--so wild, and at the
same time so beautiful, with her luxuriant, dishevelled tresses piled
above her forehead, and with passionate words on her grave and daring
lips.

"Golda," said Meir, "I will come to your house and pay a visit to
your old grandfather."

"Come," said she; "with you there will enter into our house a great
light."

The sun had almost set behind the high scarlet and purple clouds. A
little pond shone from beyond the high osiers. In that direction
Golda's looks went, and stopped at the water and surrounding bushes.

"Why are you looking at the pond?" asked