They sit beside the father's bed, she and her Eleazar.

Her heart overflows with content, she feels happier than she ever felt
before, there are even tears of joy on her cheeks.

She sits and cries, hiding her face with her apron.

He takes her caressingly by the hands, repeating in his kind, sweet
voice, "Feigele, stop crying, Feigele, please!"

The father lies turned with his face to the wall, and the beating of his
heart is heard in the stillness.

They sit, and she feels confidence in Eleazar, she feels that she can
rely upon him.

She sits and drinks in his words, she feels him rolling the heavy stones
from off her heart.

The old father has turned round and looked at them, and a sweet smile
steals over his face, as though he would say, "Have no fear, children, I
agree with you, I agree with all my heart."

And Feigele feels so happy, so happy....

* * * * *

The father is still lying ill, and Feigele takes out one ruble after
another, one five-ruble-piece after another.

The old man lies and prays and muses, and looks at the children, and
holds his peace.

His face gets paler and more wrinkled, he grows weaker, he feels his
strength ebbing away.

Feigele goes on taking money out of the savings-bank, the stamps in her
book grow less and less, she knows that soon there will be nothing left.

Old Reb Yainkel wishes in secret that he did not require so much, that
he might cease to hamper other people!

He spits blood-drops, and his strength goes on diminishing, and so do
the stamps in Feigele's book. The day he died saw the last farthing of
Feigele's dowry disappear after the others.

* * * * *

Feigele has resumed her seat by the bright lamp, and sews and sews till
far into the night, and with every seam that she sews, something is
added to the credit of her new account.

This time the dowry must be a larger one, because for every stamp that
is added to the account-book there is a new grey hair on Feigele's black
head.

A JEWISH CHILD

The mother came out of the bride's chamber, and cast a piercing look at
her husband, who was sitting beside a finished meal, and was making
pellets of bread crumbs previous to saying grace.

"You go and talk to her! I haven't a bit of strength left!"

"So, Rochel-Leoh has brought up children, has she, and can't manage
them! Why! People will be pointing at you and laughing--a ruin to you