Part 36 (1/2)
It was no easy matter to divert the rabbi's thoughts from his own grievances, but on the Maskil's promising to do his utmost to induce the community to raise his salary, he begged us to be seated, and listened to our tale.
”Nonsense!” he said, ”I know you! Tell the fools I know you.”
”They run away from me!”
”_Ett!_[72] They run away! Why should they run away? Who runs away?
After what? Well, as you say they run away, I will go out with you myself.”
”In what will you go?” calls out a woman's voice from behind the stove.
”Give me my cloak,” answers the rabbi.
”Give you your cloak! I've this minute taken it apart.”
”Well,” says the rabbi, ”the misfortune is happily not great. We will go to-morrow.”
I give him to understand that it is only noon, that I should be sorry to waste the day.
”_Nu_, what shall I do?” answers the rabbi, and folds his hands. ”The rebbitzin has just started mending my cloak.”
”Call them in here!”
”Call them? It's easy enough to call them, but who will come? Are they likely to listen to me? Perhaps I had better go in my dressing-gown?”
”It wouldn't do, rabbi!” exclaimed the Maskil, 'the inspector is going about in the Ga.s.s.
”For my part,” said the rabbi, ”I would have gone, but if you say no--no!”
It is settled that we shall all three call the people together from the window. But opening the window is no such easy matter. It hasn't been opened for about fifteen years. The panes are cracked with the sun, the putty dried up, the window shakes at every step on the floor. The frame is worm-eaten, and only rust keeps it fastened to the wall. It is just a chance if there are hinges.
And yet we succeeded. We opened first one side and then the other without doing any damage.
The rabbi stood in the centre, I and the Maskil on either side of him, and we all three began to call out.
The market was full of people.
In a few minutes there was a crowd inside the room.
”Gentlemen,” began the rabbi, ”I know this person.”
”There will be no writing people down!” called out several voices together.
The rabbi soon loses heart.
”No use, no use,” he murmurs, but the Maskil has got on to the table and calls out:
”Donkeys! They _must_ be written down! The good of the Jews at large demands it!”
”The good of the Jews at large,” he says, and he goes on to tell them that he has gone through the whole chapter with me, that there is no question of a joke, that I have shown him letters from the Chief Rabbis.
”From which Chief Rabbis?” is the cry.