In fact, all the townsfolk took the same liberties with me. Before, they asked nothing of me, and took me as they found me, now they began to _demand_ things of me and to inquire why I didn't do this, and why I did that, and not the other. Shmuelke the bather asked me why I was never seen at the bath on Sabbath. Kalmann the butcher wanted to know why, among the scape-fowls, there wasn't a white one of mine; and even the beadle of the Klaus, who speaks through his nose, and who had never dared approach me, came and insisted on giving me the thirty-nine stripes on the eve of the Day of Atonement: "Eh-eh, if you are a Jew like other Jews, come and lie down, and you shall be given stripes!" And the Palestinian Jews never ceased coming with their bags of earth, and I never ceased rejecting. One day there came a broad-shouldered Jew from "over there," with his bag of Palestinian earth. The earth pleased me, and a conversation took place between us on this wise: "How much do you want for your earth?" "For my earth? From anyone else I wouldn't take less than thirty rubles, but from you, knowing you and _of_ you as I do, and as your parents did so much for Palestine, I will take a twenty-five ruble piece. You must know that a person buys this once and for all." "I don't understand you," I answered. "Twenty-five rubles! How much earth have you there?" "How much earth have I? About half a quart. There will be enough to cover the eyes and the face. Perhaps you want to cover the whole body, to have it underneath and on the top and at the sides? O, I can bring you some more, but it will cost you two or three hundred rubles, because, since the good-for-nothings took to coming to Palestine, the earth has got very expensive. Believe me, I don't make much by it, it costs me nearly...." "I don't understand you, my friend! What's this about bestrewing the body? What do you mean by it?" "How do you mean, 'what do you mean by it?' Bestrewing the body like that of all honest Jews, after death." "Ha? After death? To preserve it?" "Yes, what else?" "I don't want it for that, I don't mind what happens to my body after death. I want to buy Palestinian earth for my lifetime." "What do you mean? What good can it do you while you're alive? You are not talking to the point, or else you are making game of a poor Palestinian Jew?" "I am speaking seriously. I want it now, while I live! What is it you don't understand?" My Palestinian Jew was greatly perplexed, but he quickly collected himself, and took in the situation. I saw by his artful smile that he had detected a strain of madness in me, and what should he gain by leading me into the paths of reason? Rather let him profit by it! And this he proceeded to do, saying with winning conviction: