“Rejoice!  What’s the good of that to me?  I want you to care for me; I want to took forward to your being my wife.”

“Really, I cannot take advantage of a moment of folly like this.  You don’t know what you’re saying.  You saw me last night, after many years, and in your gladness at seeing an old friend you flare up and fancy you’re in love with me.  Why, who ever heard of such foolish haste?  Go back to your studies, and in a day or two you will find the flame sinking as rapidly as it leaped up.”

“No, no!  Nothing of the kind!” His voice was thicker and there was real passion in it.  She grew dearer to him as the hope of her love receded.  “I couldn’t forget you.  I care for you awfully.  I realized last night that my feeling for you is quite unlike what I have ever felt towards any other girl.  Don’t say no!  Don’t send me away despairing.  I can hardly realize that you have grown so strange and altered.  Surely you oughtn’t to put on any side with me.  Remember the times we have had together.”

“I remember,” she said gently.  “But I do not want to marry any one:  indeed, I don’t.”

“Then if there is no one else in your thoughts, why shouldn’t it be me?  There!  I won’t press you for an answer now.  Only don’t say it’s out of the question.”

“I’m afraid I must.”

“No, you mustn’t, Esther, you mustn’t,” he exclaimed excitedly.  “Think of what it means for me.  You are the only Jewish girl I shall ever care for; and father would be pleased if I were to marry you.  You know if I wanted to marry a Shiksah there’d be awful rows.  Don’t treat me as if I were some outsider with no claim upon you.  I believe we should get on splendidly together, you and me.  We’ve been through the same sort of thing in childhood, we should understand each other, and be in sympathy with each other in a way I could never be with another girl and I doubt if you could with another fellow.”

The words burst from him like a torrent, with excited foreign-looking gestures.  Esther’s headache was coming on badly.

“What would be the use of my deceiving you?” she said gently.  “I don’t think I shall ever marry.  I’m sure I could never make you—­or any one else—­happy.  Won’t you let me be your friend?”

“Friend!” he echoed bitterly.  “I know what it is; I’m poor.  I’ve got no money bags to lay at your feet.  You’re like all the Jewish girls after all.  But I only ask you to wait; I shall have plenty of money by and by.  Who knows what more luck my father might drop in for?  There are lots of rich religious cranks.  And then I’ll work hard, honor bright I will.”

“Pray be reasonable,” said Esther quietly.  “You know you are talking at random.  Yesterday this time you had no idea of such a thing.  To-day you are all on fire.  To-morrow you will forget all about it.”

“Never!  Never!” he cried.  “Haven’t I remembered you all these years?  They talk of man’s faithlessness and woman’s faithfulness.  It seems to me, it’s all the other way.  Women are a deceptive lot.”