in Palestine, I want to dig it, and sow it, and
plant it...."

"Ha? What? Sow it and plant it?! That is ... that is ... you only mean
... may all bad dreams!..." and stammering thus, he scraped all the
scattered earth, little by little, into his bag, gradually got nearer
the door, and--was gone!

It was not long before the town was seething and bubbling like a kettle
on the boil, everyone was upset as though by some misfortune, angry with
me, and still more with himself: "How could we be so mistaken? He
doesn't want to buy Palestinian earth at all, he doesn't care what
happens to him when he's dead, he laughs--he only wants to buy earth
_in_ Palestine, and set up villages there."

"Eh-eh-eh! He remains one of _them_! He is what he is--a skeptic!" so
they said in all the streets, all the householders in the town, the
women in the market-place, at the bath, they went about abstracted, and
as furious as though I had insulted them, made fools of them, taken them
in, and all of a sudden they became cold and distant to me. The pious
Jews were seen no more at my house. I received packages from Palestine
one after the other. One had a black seal, on which was scratched a
black ram's horn, and inside, in large characters, was a ban from the
Brisk Rebbetzin, because of my wishing to make all the Jews unhappy.
Other packets were from different Palestinian beggars, who tried to
compel me, with fair words and foul, to send them money for their
travelling expenses and for the samples of earth they enclosed. My
fellow-townspeople also got packages from "over there," warning them
against me--I was a dangerous man, a missionary, and it was a Mitzveh to
be revenged on me. There was an uproar, and no wonder! A letter from
Palestine, written in Rashi, with large seals! In short I was to be put
to shame and confusion. Everyone avoided me, nobody came near me. When
people were obliged to come to me in money matters or to beg an alms,
they entered with deference, and spoke respectfully, in a gentle voice,
as to "one of them," took the alms or the money, and were out of the
door, behind which they abused me, as usual.

Only Yuedel did not forsake me. Yuedel, the "living orphan," was
bewildered and perplexed. He had plenty of work, flew from one house to
the other, listening, begging, and talebearing, answering and asking
questions; but he could not settle the matter in his own mind: now he
looked at me angrily, and again with pity. He see