Part 34 (2/2)

”Praise, everywhere and forever, the name of His glorious reign!

”The Lord is G.o.d! The Lord is G.o.d! The Lord is G.o.d!

”Hear, oh Israel, the Lord our G.o.d is one G.o.d!

”Go, then, where the Lord calleth thee--go, and may His mercy help thee!

”May the Lord, our G.o.d, be with thee; may His immortal angels lead thee to heaven, and may the righteous be glad when the Lord shall receive thee into His bosom!

”G.o.d of mercy, receive this soul into the midst of eternal joys!”

Sorle and I repeated, weeping, those holy words. Zeffen lay as if dead, her arms extended across the bed, over the feet of her child.

Her brother Safel stood behind her, weeping bitterly, and calling softly, ”Zeffen! Zeffen!”

But she did not hear; her soul was lost in infinite sorrows.

Without, the cries of ”Fire!” the orders for the engines, the tumult of the crowd, the rolling of the cannonade still continued; the flashes, one after another, lighted up the darkness.

What a night, Fritz! What a night!

Suddenly Safel, who was leaning over under the curtain, turned round to us in terror. My wife and I ran, and saw that the child was dead. We raised our hands, sobbing, to indicate it. The chanter ceased his psalm. Our David was dead!

The most terrible thing was the mother's cry! She lay, stretched out, as if she had fainted; but when the chanter leaned over and closed the lips, saying ”_Amen!_” she rose, lifted the little one, looked at him, then, raising him above her head, began to run toward the door, crying out with a heart-rending voice:

”Baruch! Baruch! save our child!”

She was mad, Fritz! In this last terror I stopped her, and, by main force, took from her the little body which she was carrying away. And Sorle, throwing her arms round her, with ceaseless groanings, Mother Lanche, the chanter, Safel, all led her away.

I remained alone, and I heard them go down, leading away my daughter.

How can a man endure such sorrows?

I put David back in the bed and covered him, because of the open windows. I knew that he was dead, but it seemed to me as if he would be cold. I looked at him for a long time, so as to retain that beautiful face in my heart.

It was all heart-rending--all! I felt as if my bowels were torn from me, and in my madness I accused the Lord, and said:

”I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of Thy wrath.

Surely against me is He turned. My flesh and my skin hath He made old: He hath broken my bones. He hath set me in dark places. Also when I cry and shout He shutteth out my prayer. He was unto me as a lion in secret places!”

Thus I walked about, groaning and even blaspheming. But G.o.d in His mercy forgave me; He knew that it was not myself that spoke, but my despair.

At last I sat down, the others came back. Sorle sat next to me in silence. Safel said to me:

”Zeffen has gone to the rabbi's with Esdras.”

I covered my head without answering him.

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