son's faces will be covered with beards before they may marry!"

"When they take their wives, their minds and strength will be already
developed."

"They will order us to warm ourselves at strange fireplaces, and
drink from the wine-garden of Sodom."

"They will bring near to us the Jobel-ha-Gabel--the festival of joy,
during which the lamb may eat beside the tiger."

"Hersh Ezofowich! Hersh Ezofowich! Through your mouth speaks the soul
of your great-grandfather, who wished to lead all Jews to foreign
fireplaces."

"Reb Nohim! Reb Nohim! Through your eyes looks the soul of your
great-grandfather, who plunged all Jews into great darkness."

Deep silence reigned in the crowd as the two men, standing far from
each other, spoke thus. Nohim's voice grew thinner and sharper;
Hersh's resounded with stronger and deeper tones. The Rabbi's yellow
cheeks became covered with brick-red spots--Ezofowich's face grew
pale. The Rabbi shook his thin hands, rocking his figure backward and
forward, scattering his silvery beard over both shoulders. The
merchant stood erect and motionless, and in his green eyes shone an
angry sneer.

A couple of thousand eyes gazed in turn on the two
adversaries--leaders of the people--and a couple of thousand mouths
quivered, but were silent.

Finally, the long, sharp piercing cry of Reb Nohim resounded in the
courtyard of the temple.

"Assybe! assybe! dajde!" moaned the old man, sobbing and crushing his
hands.

"Hoffnung! Hoffnung! Frieden!" joyfully exclaimed Hersh, raising his
white hand.

The crowd was still silent and motionless for a while. Then the heads
began to move like waves and lips to murmur like waters, and at once
a couple of thousands of hands were lifted with a gesture of pain and
distress, and from a couple of thousand throats came the powerful
shout.

"Assybe! assybe! dajde!"

Reb Nohim was victorious!

Hersh looked around. His friends surrounded him closely. They were
silent. They dropped their heads and cast timid looks on the ground.

Hersh smiled disdainfully, and when the crowd rushed to the temple,
led by Reb Nohim continually shaking his yellow hands above his gray
head, and while still before the threshold of the temple began the
prayer habitually recited when some peril was imminent--when finally
the brown walls of the temple resounded with the powerful sobbing
cry, "Lord help thy people! Save from annihilation the sons of
Israel!" The young merchant stood m