and joyous something to which I was going.





ON THE DAY OF THE CRUCIFIXION




On that terrible day, when the universal injustice was committed and
Jesus Christ was crucified in Golgotha among robbers--on that day,
from early morning, Ben-Tovit, a tradesman of Jerusalem, suffered
from an unendurable toothache. His toothache had commenced on the
day before, toward evening; at first his right jaw started to pain
him, and one tooth, the one right next the wisdom tooth, seemed to
have risen somewhat, and when his tongue touched the tooth, he felt a
slightly painful sensation. After supper, however, his toothache had
passed, and Ben-Tovit had forgotten all about it--he had made a
profitable deal on that day, had bartered an old donkey for a young,
strong one, so he was very cheerful and paid no heed to any ominous
signs.

And he slept very soundly. But just before daybreak something began
to disturb him, as if some one were calling him on a very important
matter, and when Ben-Tovit awoke angrily, his teeth were aching,
aching openly and maliciously, causing him an acute, drilling pain.
And he could no longer understand whether it was only the same tooth
that had ached on the previous day, or whether others had joined that