Page:Yiddish Tales.djvu/395

 THE CHARITABLE LOAN 391

"If you haven't ?" the wife answered, and began slap- ping him with both hands over the shoulders.

"I thought we once had a little clothes-brush. Where is it? ha?"

"Perhaps you dreamt it/' replied his wife, still slap- ping him on the shoulders, and she went on, "Well, I should say you had got some white on your coat!"

"Come, that'll do!" said Chayyim, almost angrily. "I'll go now."

He drew on his Sabbath overcoat with a sigh, and muttering, "Very likely, isn't it, he'll lend me money !" he went out.

On the way to Loibe-Bares, Chayyim's heart began to fail him. Since the day that Loibe-Bares came to live at the end of the street, Chayyim had been in the house only twice, and the path Chayyim was treading now was as bad as an examination: the "approach" to him, the light rooms, the great mirrors, the soft chairs, Loibe-Bares himself with his long, thick beard and his black eyes with their "gevirish" glance, the lady, the merry, happy children, even the maid, who had remained in his memory since those two visits all these things together terrified him, and he asked him- self, "Where are you going to? Are you mad? Home with you at once!" and every now and then he would stop short on the way. Only the thought that Ulas was near, and that he had no money to buy corn, drove him to continue.

"He won't lend anything it's no use hoping." Chay- yim was preparing himself as he walked for the shock of disappointment; but he felt that if he gave way to