COUNTRY FOLK 557
who lay snoring with the rest, it deliberately put a bottle to his nose. Mattes gave a squeal, and sat up hastily.
"Ha, who is it?" he asked in alarm.
It was the young man from town, the prayer-leader, with a bottle of strong smelling-salts.
"It is I," he said with a degage air, and smiled. "Never mind, it will do you good! You are fasting, and there is an express law in the Chayye Odom on the subject."
"But why me?" complained Mattes, blinking at him reproachfully. "What have I done to you?"
Day was about to dawn. The air in the room had cooled down; the soul-lights were still playing in the dark, dewy window-panes. A few of the men bedded in the hay on the floor were waking up. Feivke stood in the middle of the room with staring eyes. The young man with the smelling-bottle came up to him with a lively air.
"0 you little object! What are you staring at me for ? Do you want a sniff ? There, then, sniff !"
Feivke retreated into a corner, and continued to stare at him in bewilderment.
No sooner was it day, than the davvening recom- menced with all the fervor of the night before, the room was as noisy, and very soon nearly as hot. But it had not the same effect on Feivke as yesterday, and he was no longer frightened of Anishka and the stone the whole dream had dissolved into thin air. When they once more brought out the scroll of the Law in its white mantle, Feivke was standing by the table, and 36
