"Dear Rabbi, I am, you must know, already acquainted with the fact that Jews require blood at Passover. I know also that it is a secret belonging only to the Rabbis, to very pious Jews, and to the wealthy who give much alms. And I, who am, as you know, a very charitable and good Jew, wish also to comply, if only once in my life, with this great observance. "You need not be alarmed, dear Rabbi! I will never betray the secret, but will make you happy forever, if you will enable me to fulfil so great a command. "If, however, you deny its existence, and declare that Jews do not require blood, from that moment I become your bitter enemy. "And why should I be treated worse than any other pious Jew? I, too, want to try to perform the great commandment which God gave in secret. I am not learned in the Law, but a great and wealthy Jew, and one given to good works, that am I in very truth!" You can fancy--said my Grandmother--the Rabbi's horror on hearing such words from a Jew, a simple countryman. They pierced him to the quick, like sharp arrows. He saw that the Jew believed in all sincerity that his coreligionists used blood at Passover. How was he to uproot out of such a simple heart the weeds sown there by evil men? The Rabbi saw that words would just then be useless. A beautiful thought came to him, and he said: "So be it, dear friend! Come into the synagogue to-morrow at this time, and I will grant your request. But till then you must fast, and you must not sleep all night, but watch in prayer, for this is a very grave and dreadful thing." The Jew went away full of gladness, and did as the Rabbi had told him. Next day, at the appointed time, he came again, wan with hunger and lack of sleep. The Rabbi took the key of the synagogue, and they went in there together. In the synagogue all was quiet. The Rabbi put on a prayer-scarf and a robe, lighted some black candles, threw off his shoes, took the Jew by the hand, and led him up to the ark. The Rabbi opened the ark, took out a scroll of the Law, and said: "You know that for us Jews the scroll of the Law is the most sacred of all things, and that the list of denunciations occurs in it twice. "I swear to you by the scroll of the Law: If any Jew, whosoever he be, requires blood at Passover, may all the curses contained in the two lists of denunciations be on my head, and on the head of my whole family!" The Jew was greatly startled. He knew that the Rabbi had never before sworn an oath, and now, for his sake, he had sworn an oath so dreadful! The Jew wept much, and said: "Dear Rabbi, I have sinned before God and before you. I pray you, pardon me and give me a hard penance, as hard as you please. I will perform it willingly, and may God forgive me likewise!" The Rabbi comforted him, and told no one what had happened, he only told a few very near relations, just to show them how people can be talked into believing the greatest foolishness and the most wicked lies.