* * * * * --Rabōssai! hēbt ān a scharf-stichedig, brühendig Kol-- Nor er hackt āb-- --Rabōssai! hēbt er noch a Māl ān, nor wēicher un' hackt weiter āb. Endlich hört sich, vun dem ēigenem Hals araus, a wēich Kol, wie a Putter: --Rabōssai! Er hāt geschwiegen! Ich will äuch schweigen! Es werd still, un' vun vorent hört sich a neue wēiche, zitterdige Stimme: --Bonzje, mein Kind Bonzje! ruft es wie a Harfe.... Mein harzig Kind Bonzje! In Bonzjen zuwēint sich dās Harz ... er wollt' schōn die Äugen geöffent, nor see senen verfinstert vun Trähren.... Es is' ihm asō süss-wēinendig kēin Māl nischt gewesen.... "Mein Kind," "Mein Bonzje,"--seit die Mutter is' gestorben, hāt er asa Kol un' asōne Wörter nischt gehört-- --Mein Kind! führt weiter der Ow-bess-din,--du hāst alls gelitten un' geschwiegen! Es is' nischt dā kein ganz Eewer, kēin ganz Bēindel in dein Leib ohn' a Rane, ohn' a blutig Ort, es is' nischt dā kēin ēin behalten Ort in dein Neschome, wu es soll nischt bluten ... un' du hāst alls geschwiegen.... Dort hāt män sich nischt verstan'en derauf! Du allēin hāst gār efscher nischt gewusst, as du kännst schreien un' vun dein Geschrēi können Jereecho's Mauern zittern un' einfallen! Du allēin hāst vun dein verschlāfenem Kōach nischt gewusst.... Auf jener Welt hāt män dein Schweigen nischt every moment the previous ... the Advocate brought back so many recollections ... who knows what the Prosecuting Attorney will remind him of? "Judges!" he begins with a sharp, stinging voice-- * * * * * But he stops short. "Judges!" he begins once more, but more softly, and he interrupts himself again. At last there issues from the same throat a voice as soft as butter: "Judges! He has been silent! I shall be silent too!" All is still, and in front a new soft, trembling voice is heard: "Bontsie, my child Bontsie!" Bontsie's heart is dissolved in tears ... he would have opened his eyes, but they are covered with tears ... he has never wept such sweet tears before.... "My child," "My Bontsie!"--ever since his mother had died, he had not heard such a voice and such words. * * * * * "My child!" the Highest Judge proceeds, "you have suffered all, and you were silent! There is not a member, not a bone in your body without wounds, without a spot of blood. There is not a hidden place in your soul where it does not bleed, and yet you were always silent.... "There they did not understand such things! It may be you yourself did not know that you can cry and that from your cries the walls of Jericho could tremble and fall! You yourself did not know of your hidden power.... "They did not reward your silence in the other belōhnt, nor dort is' der Ōlem-hascheker, dā auf'n Ōlem-emes west du dein Lōb bekummen!