knitting and baking dainties for our soldiers. That
will be easy," he mused, "but how can I endure living here under
British rule, feeling myself a slave among a slave people?" He threw
back his head, his eyes glowing with the light of battle. "Our people
have wandered, many of them, from Spain to Holland, from Holland to
this blessed land, to be free; how can I, a leader in Israel, bow down
to the sons of Belial who will come among us!" His hands clenched the
wickets of the gate; he breathed hard and was silent.

As he spoke in ringing tones, an almost forgotten picture flashed
before David's eyes. He was listening again to the rabbi's story of
the days when the Romans besieged Jerusalem and laid it waste and took
the people captive. He remembered how Mr. Seixas had glowed with pride
when he told of those ancient Jews--"Fighters all, David, who could
not live as slaves."

"Mr. Seixas," asked David, suddenly, "in the old days when the Romans
burned the Temple and everything, what did the rabbis do? Did they
fight like Bar Kochba and the other generals?"

With a visible effort, the rabbi wrenched himself back to the present.
"The Romans"--he repeated, vaguely. "What did the rabbis do?" Again
his voice thrilled with pride as it had done when he had first told
the child the story of Bar Kochba's rebellion. "They were brave men,
David; priests and warriors. Rabbi Akiba did the thing I must try to
do--kept the fighters brave and loyal; and when he could do no more,
he died as bravely as the bravest soldier of them all."

"But there was one rabbi who didn't die," insisted David. "I forget
his name, but I liked him better than all the others because he got
the best of the Romans. Don't you know--he pretended he was dead and
had his pupils take him to the Emperor in a coffin, that the guards
wouldn't stop them when they passed the gates. And when the Emperor
asked him what he wanted, he said 'Just let me build a school and I
won't trouble anybody! What was his name, Mr. Seixas?"

"You are thinking of Rabbi Johanan ben Zakkai," answered his teacher,
slowly. "You are right--he did 'get the best of the Romans,' as you
say. He would have died rather than breathe the air of a Roman court
like Josephus; instead he continued to fight the enemy of his people;
he handed down to his disciples the sword with which they were to
fight through the centuries."

"What sword?" asked David, puzzled.

"Not a real sword; the study of our