184 ROSENTHAL
at his sick chest and dinning in the ears. Then he sat up, and went on coughing and clearing his throat, till he had brought up the phlegm.
The little girl continued to be absorbed in her work and to swing her feet, taking very little notice of her sick father.
The invalid smoothed the creases in the cushion, laid his head down again, and closed his eyes. He lay thus for a few minutes, then he said quite quietly :
"Leah!"
"What is it, Tate?" inquired the child again, still swinging her feet.
"Tell . . mother ... it is ... time to ... bless . . . the candles ..."
The little girl never moved from her seat, but shouted through the open door into the shop :
"Mother, shut up shop! Father says it's time for candle-blessing.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," answered her mother from the shop.
She quickly disposed of a few women customers : sold one a kopek's worth of tea, the other, two kopeks' worth of sugar, the third, two tallow candles. Then she closed the shutters and the street door, and came into the room.
"You've drunk the glass of milk?" she inquired of the sick man.
"Yes ... I have . . . drunk it," he replied.
"And you, Leahnyu, daughter," and she turned to the child, "may the evil spirit take you ! Couldn't you put on your shoes without my telling you? Don't you know it's Sabbafh ?"
