y. "Ask his uncles; I will go
and bring his uncle Abraham."

"No need," said the nobleman shortly.

He rose, and looked thoughtful, then fixed his eyes upon Jankiel's
face.

Jankiel boldly met his searching glance. "Listen, Jankiel," said the
lord of Kamionka, "you are a man of years, a respectable merchant,
and father of a large family. I ought to trust you more than a young
man whom I have seen to-day for the first time, and who may be wrong
in the head for anything I know; but there must be something at the
bottom of what he tells me. I must get some information about him."

"The gracious lord can get that information very easily," said
Jankiel, shrugging his shoulders contemptuously.

The owner of Kamionka thought a little, and then asked:

"Is that celebrated Rabbi of yours in town?"

"Where should he be?" said Jankiel. "He has never been out of the
town during his life."

"A steady man, your Rabbi," said the nobleman, reaching for his hat.
"Now, Jankiel, show me the way, and, if I do not hear anything new, I
shall at least have seen and spoken with that celebrated man."

Jankiel opened the door for his distinguished guest, and followed him
into the square, which was now almost deserted. Half-way across they
met Eli Witebski, whom the lord of Kamionka greeted affably. By his
manner and appearance the wealthy merchant came a little nearer to
the civilised sphere in which the landowner moved himself.

"Has the gracious lord come to town on business?" asked Eli.

"No; I am only passing."

"And where might the gracious lord be going now?"

"To see your Rabbi, Witebski."

Witebski looked astonished.

"To see the Rabbi! And what business can the noble lord have with the
Rabbi?"

"It is a ridiculous story, Witebski. There, tell me, do you know Saul
Ezofowich's grandson?"

"Which of them?" asked Eli. "Saul has many grandsons."

"What is his name?" asked the nobleman, half-turning his head toward
Jankiel.

"Meir, Meir, that worthless fellow!"

Witebski nodded his head as a sign that he understood.

"Well," he said, with an indulgent smile, "I would not quite call him
a worthless fellow. He is young, and will mend; he is hot-headed
though."

"What! a little wrong here?" laughed the gentleman, pointing to his
forehead.

"Well," said Eli, "he is not mad, but rash and impulsive, and just
now had done a very foolish thing, and put me into a most awkward
position. Ai! Ai! what trouble and vexation