in our house. And it was hard on me to have a hand in the affair.
But one angry word of Anna's set me a-going. In a moment my hand
was on the animal, which trusted me and believed in me implicitly.
Then Anna handed me a rope to bind it. I did as she wanted; the pig
started to squeal and squeak horribly. To me it sounded like "Zhid,
Zhid, is that the way to treat _me?"_

Then Anna handed me a knife, and showed me where to make the cut.
. . . The pig began to bleed fearfully, gurgling, and choking with
his own blood. Forthwith Anna ordered wood to be brought, a fire to
be kindled, and the pig to be put upon it. I did all as I had been
ordered. My dog was watching me intently, greatly bewildered; the
pig groaned and groaned; the flames licked his body and embraced
it--and my dog was barking and yelping away up into the sky.

That night I dreamt that my brother the Shohet and I were on trial
in Heaven before the seat of judgment, with various animals
complaining against us. Only clean fowl, such as geese, pigeons,
and the like were complaining against my brother, and they all
pleaded in clear, good Hebrew, saying, "Was it for your own
consumption that you killed us all?" . . . . But it was only the
pig that complained against me, and it pleaded in screeches and
grunts that nobody could understand. . . .

The next morning Anna got up early, and made me stand before the
ikon of the Virgin and recite a certain prayer. At dinner she
seated me alongside of Peter, gave me some roast pork, and looked
sharply at me. I guess, while making all those preparations, Anna
had only one thing in mind: to put Peter up against me while he was
drunk. I took fright, and began to chew away at the pork. But then