Part 10 (1/2)

Hannah smilingly plucked off the glittering bauble from her finger and slid it on to Leah's. Hyams alone remained grave. ”Laugh away!” he said. ”You will soon find I am right. Such is our law.”

”May be,” said Samuel, constrained to seriousness despite himself. ”But you forget that I am already engaged to Leah.”

”I do not forget it,” replied Hyams, ”but it has nothing to do with the case. You are both single, or rather you _were_ both single, for now you are man and wife.”

Leah, who had been sitting pale and agitated, burst into tears. Hannah's face was drawn and white. Her mother looked the least alarmed of the company.

”Droll person!” cried Malka, addressing Sam angrily in jargon. ”What hast thou done?”

”Don't let us all go mad,” said Samuel, bewildered. ”How can a piece of fun, a joke, be a valid marriage?”

”The law takes no account of jokes,” said old Hyams solemnly.

”Then why didn't you stop me?” asked Sam, exasperated.

”It was all done in a moment. I laughed myself; I had no time to think.”

Sam brought his fist down on the table with a bang.

”Well, I'll never believe this! If this is Judaism----!”

”Hus.h.!.+” said Malka angrily. ”These are your English Jews, who make mock of holy things. I always said the son of a proselyte was----”

”Look here, mother,” put in Michael soothingly. ”Don't let us make a fuss before we know the truth. Send for some one who is likely to know.”

He played agitatedly with his complex pocket-knife.

”Yes, Hannah's father, Reb Shemuel is just the man,” cried Milly Phillips.

”I told you my husband was gone to Manchester for a day or two,” Mrs.

Jacobs reminded her.

”There's the _Maggid_ of the Sons of the Covenant,” said one of the company. ”I'll go and fetch him.”

The stooping, black-bearded _Maggid_ was brought. When he arrived, it was evident from his look that he knew all and brought confirmation of their worst fears. He explained the law at great length, and cited precedent upon precedent. When he ceased, Leah's sobs alone broke the silence. Samuel's face was white. The merry gathering had been turned to a wedding party.

”You rogue!” burst forth Malka at last. ”You planned all this--you thought my Leah didn't have enough money, and that Reb Shemuel will heap you up gold in the hands. But you don't take me in like this.”

”May this piece of bread choke me if I had the slightest iota of intention!” cried Samuel pa.s.sionately, for the thought of what Leah might think was like fire in his veins. He turned appealingly to the _Maggid_; ”but there must be some way out of this, surely there must be some way out. I know you _Maggidim_ can split hairs. Can't you make one of your clever distinctions even when there's more than a trifle concerned?” There was a savage impatience about the bridegroom which boded ill for the Law.

”Of course there's a way out,” said the _Maggid_ calmly. ”Only one way, but a very broad and simple one.”

”What's that?” everybody asked breathlessly.

”He must give her _Gett_!”

”Of course!” shouted Sam in a voice of thunder. ”I divorce her at once.”

He guffawed hysterically: ”What a pack of fools we are! Good old Jewish law!”

Leah's sobs ceased. Everybody except Mrs. Jacobs was smiling once more.