Page:Jewish Fairy Book (Gerald Friedlander).djvu/29

Rh &quot;Stay with me and you shall wed my daughter, who loves you!&quot; the Rabbi said.

&quot;I greatly appreciate your extreme kindness and I am glad to think I have found favor in the eyes of your good daughter, but my heart is entwined with the heart of my cousin. I have pledged my word to see her in less than five months.&quot; He then told the kind-hearted Rabbi of the circumstance that led to his being there. He told him how his cousin David and he had received ₤100 each and that the one who should have at &quot;the end of twelve months the larger fortune would receive the hand of the beautiful daughter of their uncle. &quot;I have determined to be home in time for the wedding, even though it may not be my good fortune to be the lucky husband," he added.

&quot;Go in peace,&quot; said the Rabbi, &quot;and God prosper your way.&quot;

Jacob started on his return journey in a happy mood. He was returning with a treasure far more precious than the jewels which had been stolen from him. Elijah's blessing was indeed something worth having. On and on did he tramp for the best part of the day, for he stopped neither to eat nor to rest, so fiercely did the desire to see the face of his beloved burn within him. At last his feet refused to carry him any further. He was also very faint; hunger and thirst began to claim attention, and he did not know how to satisfy them. He looked about