unfolded his whole plan to the people,
and placed before them the happiness that would result for the whole
world, if it were to be realized. But first of all he must journey to a
large town, in which there were a great many unfortunate rich people,
preferably Wilna, and he demanded of his flock that they should furnish
him with the necessary means for getting there.

The audience did not take long to reflect, they agreed to the Rav's
proposal, collected a few rubles (for who would not give their last
farthing for such an important object?), and on Sunday morning early
they hired him a peasant's cart and horse--and the Rav drove away to
Wilna.

The Rav passed the drive marshalling his arguments, settling on what he
should say, and how he should explain himself, and he was delighted to
see how, the more deeply he pondered his plan, the more he thought it
out, the more efficient and appropriate it appeared, and the clearer he
saw what happiness it would bestow on men all the world over.

The small cart arrived at Wilna.

"Whither are we to drive?" asked the peasant.

"Whither? To a Jew," answered the Rav. "For where is the Jew who will
not give me a night's lodging?"

"And I, with my cart and horse?"

The Rav sat perplexed, but a Jew passing by heard the conversation, and
explained to him that Wilna is not Pumpian, and that they would have to
drive to a post-house, or an inn.

"Be it so!" said the Rav, and the Jew gave him the address of a place to
which they should drive.

Wilna! It is certainly not the same thing as Pumpian. Now, for the first
time in his life, the Rav saw whole streets of tall houses, of two and
three stories, all as it were under one roof, and how fine they are,
thought he, with their decorated exteriors!

"Oi, there live the unfortunate people!" said Reb Nochumtzi to himself.
"I never saw anything like them before! How can they bear such a
misfortune? I shall come to them as an angel of deliverance!"

He had made up his mind to go to the principal Jewish citizen in Wilna,
only he must be a good scholar, so as to understand what Reb Nochumtzi
had to say to him.

They advised him to go to the president of the Congregation.

Every street along which he passed astonished him separately, the
houses, the pavements, the droshkis and carriages, and especially the
people, so beautifully got up with gold watch-chains and rings--he was
quite bewildered, so that he was afraid he might lose his se