As I went hurriedly upstairs I heard the Jew himself, who was dressing
for the synagogue, singing his Sabbath hymn: _Lerho daudee likras
kollo_--"Come, O friend, let us go forth to meet the Bride, let us
receive the Sabbath with joy!"
Then came a shock.
When I reached my room I found, to my dismay, that the pile of vests
which I had left on my bed on going out the day before had been removed;
and just as I was telling myself that no one else except Mrs.
Abramovitch had a key to my door I heard shuffling footsteps on the
stair, and knew that her husband was coming up to me.
A moment afterwards the Jew stood in my doorway. He was dressed in his
Sabbath suit and, free from the incongruous indications of his homely
calling, the patriarchal appearance which had first struck me was even
more marked than before. His face was pale, his expression was severe,
and if his tongue betrayed the broken English of the Polish Jew, I, in
my confusion and fear, did not notice it then.
My first thought was that he had come to reprove me for neglecting my
work, and I was prepared to promise to make up for my absence.
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