ooks into everybody's eyes, and licks herself--in like
manner did Leibel, poor thing, go round and round the cupboard. He gazed
in through the glass door, smiled at the box containing the citron,
until his mother saw him, and said to his father that the young scamp
wanted to get hold of the citron to bite off its top.

"To '_Cheder_,' you blackguard! May you never be thought of, you scamp!"

Leibel bent his head, lowered his eyes, and went off to "_Cheder_."

* * *

The few words his mother had said to his father about his biting off the
top of the citron burned themselves into Leibel's heart, and ate into
his bones like a deadly poison.

The top of the citron buried itself in Leibel's brain. It did not leave
his thoughts for a moment. It entered his dreams at night, worried him,
and almost dragged him by the hand. "You do not recognize me, foolish
boy? It is I--the top of the citron." Leibel turned round on the other
side, groaned, and went to sleep. It worried him again. "Get up, fool.
Go and open the cupboard, take out the citron, and bite me off. You will
enjoy yourself."

Leibel got up in the morning, washed his hands, and began to say his
prayers. He took his breakfast, and was going off to "_Cheder_." Passing
by, he glanced in the direction of the glass cupboard. Through the glass
door, he saw the box containing the citron. And he imagined the box was
winking at him. "Over here, over here, little boy." Leibel marched
straight out of the house.

One morning, when Leibel got up, he found himself alone in the house.
His father had gone off to business, his mother had gone to the market.
The servant was busy in the kitchen. "Every one is gone. There isn't a
soul in the house," thought Leibel. Passing by, he again looked inside
the glass cupboard. He saw the sugar box that held the citron. It seemed
to be beckoning to him. "Over here, over here, little boy." Leibel
opened the glass door softly and carefully, and took out the box--the
beautiful, round, carved, decorated wooden box, and raised the lid.
Before he had time to lift out the citron, the fragrance of it filled
his nostrils--the pungent, heavenly odour. Before he had time to turn
around, the citron was in his hand, and the top of it in his eyes.

"Do you want to enjoy yourself? Do you want to know the taste of
Paradise? Take and bite me off. Do not be afraid, little fool. No one
will know of it. Not a son of Adam will see you. No bird will tell on
you