lth--like a young prince. But what was
the consequence? I was not allowed to play, or run about, lest I caught
cold. I must not play with poor children. I was a wealthy man's boy.
Such nice clothes, and I had no one to show off before. I had a
pocketful of nuts, and no one to play with.

It is not good to be an only child, and fretted over--the only one left
out of seven, and a wealthy man's son into the bargain.

My father put on his best clothes, and went off to the synagogue. Said
my mother to me: "Do you know what? Lie down and have a sleep. You will
then be able to sit up at the '_Seder_' and ask the 'four questions'!"
Was I mad? Would I go asleep before the "_Seder_"?

"Remember, you must not sleep at the '_Seder_.' If you do, Elijah the
Prophet will come with a bag on his shoulders. On the two first nights
of Passover, Elijah the Prophet goes about looking for those who have
fallen asleep at the '_Seder_,' and takes them away in his bag." ... Ha!
Ha! Will I fall asleep at the "_Seder_"? I? Not even if it were to last
the whole night through, or even to broad daylight. "What happened last
year, mother?" "Last year you fell asleep, soon after the first
blessing." "Why did Elijah the Prophet not come then with his bag?"
"Then you were very small, now you are big. Tonight you must ask father
the 'four questions.' Tonight you must say with father--'Slaves were
we.' Tonight, you must eat with us fish and soup and '_Matzo_'-balls.
Hush, here is father, back from the synagogue."

"Good '_Yom-tov_'!"

"Good '_Yom-tov_'!"

Thank God, father made the blessing over wine. I, too. Father drank the
cup full of wine. So did I, a cup full, to the very dregs. "See, to the
dregs," said mother to father. To me she said: "A full cup of wine! You
will drop off to sleep." Ha! Ha! Will I fall asleep? Not even if we are
to sit up all the night, or even to broad daylight. "Well," said my
father, "how are you going to ask the 'four questions'? How will you
recite '_Haggadah_'? How will you sing with me--'Slaves were we'?" My
mother never took her eyes off me. She smiled and said: "You will fall
asleep--fast asleep." "Oh, mother, mother, if you had eighteen heads,
you would surely fall asleep, if some one sat opposite you, and sang in
your ears: 'Fall asleep, fall asleep'!"

Of course I fell asleep.

I fell asleep, and dreamt that my father was already saying: "Pour out
thy wrath." My mother herself got up from the table, and went