"Were you in the heder yesterday?" he asked. The boy began to tremble still more, and answered in a hoarse voice:
"Aha."
This meant an affirmative.
"Were you beaten again?"
Tears filled the boy's dark eyes, which remained raised to the face of the tall young man.
"They beat me," he said.
His breast began to heave with sobs under the sleeves of the halat, which were still pressed by the boy's folded bands.
"Have you breakfasted?"
The boy shook his head in the negative.
Meir took from the nearest huckster's stand a big hala (loaf of bread), for which he threw a copper coin to the old woman. He then gave the bread to the child. Lejbele seized it in both bands, and began to devour it rapaciously. At that moment a tall, thin, lithe man rushed out from the cabin. He wore a black beard, and bad an old, sorrowful face. He threw himself toward Meir. First be seized his band and raised it to his lips, and then began to reproach him.