when you see them?" asked Meir violently.

"What should they be? I think they are very stupid and very dirty!"

"And looking at them, do you think of nothing else?" asked Meir,
almost in a whisper.

Leopold opened his cigarette case, and selected a cigarette. Meir,
plunged in thought, did not notice this.

"Leopold," he began again, with awakened energy, "you had better not
buy that house in the large city."

"Why should I not buy it?"

"I will tell you why. They have promised you, as wife, my first
cousin. She is a good and intelligent girl. She has no education
whatever, but she always wished to have it, and she was very glad
when she was told that she would have an educated husband. You are
going to marry her, and when you have married her, ask permission of
the high officials to open in Szybow a school for the Jews, in which
they will be made to study other things than the Bible and Talmud. I
will help you to conduct such a school."

Leopold laughed, but Meir, all aglow with the joy of his idea, did
not notice it. He leaned towards the young man and whispered:

"I will tell you, Leopold. There is great ignorance here in Szybow,
and there are many poor people living in misery. But there are some
people--all of them young--who regret that they do not know another
world, and that they have not other knowledge. They wish to become
familiar with it, but there is no one to help them out of the darkness.
And then the great Rabbi who lives here, Isaak Todros, is very severe,
and he is dreaded by everyone; and the members of the kahal also
oppress the poor people. You must come here and bring with you other
educated people, and help us out of our misery and our ignorance."

All this was spoken enthusiastically, his head triumphally raised and
his voice filled with warm prayer. But nothing could equal the
astonishment, and in the meantime the irony, with which Leopold
listened to him. As Meir finished he selected a match from a silver
box, bending his head in order to hide the fact that he was laughing.

"Nu," said Meir, "what do you think of what I have said? Is it a good
idea?"

Leopold lighted the match and answered:

"I am thinking that if I were to speak of your plans to my family or
my comrades they would be much amused."

The light which shone in Meir's eyes was quenched at once.

"Why would they laugh?" he whispered.

At that moment Leopold lighted his cigarette and the fragrant smoke
floated throu