Page:Meir Ezofovitch a novel, from the Polish of Eliza Orzeszko.djvu/285

Rh clothes and piercing eyes could be the celebrated rabbi, whose fame spreading over the Jewish communities had sent a faint echo into the Christian world

He approached the man very politely.

“Could I see the Rabbi of Szybow for a few minutes ? ”

There was no answer.

The man sitting near the wall craned his long yellow neck, and opened his eyes and mouth wider. The sudden amazement, or perhaps other feelings gave him the appearance of stupidity almost idiotism. No wonder that Isaac Todros looked like one turned to stone at the sight of the nobleman standing before him. He was the first Edomite who had ever crossed his threshold, the first he had ever seen close to ; and the first time he had heard the sonorous language, which sounded strange and unintelligible to his ears. If the angel Matatron, the heavenly patron and defender of Israel; or even the foremost of the evil spirits had stood before him he would have been less appalled; with supernatural beings he was in constant though not direct communication. He studied them, their nature and their functions. But this tall, stately man in his abominable garment which reached barely to his knee with the white, effeminate forehead and unintelligible language. Who was he? What did he want? Was he a Philistine? a cruel Roman or perhaps a Spaniard, one of those that murdered the famous Abrabanel family and drove his ancestor Todros out of Spain?

The lord waited a few minutes and not getting an answer repeated the question.

"Could I speak with the Rabbi of Szybow?” At the sound