“Twenty-seven. This is his wife, Rimona. And the young man next to her is a friend. Our younger son is serving in the paratroops. It was good of you to trouble yourself to come.”

“I’ll have him sent home right away. Your younger son, I mean, of course. If you’ll just jot down his name and unit on a piece of paper for me you’ll have him back before the night is out. I’m sorry, but those shmendriks in the car outside are sure to be swearing at me for being, as they say, behind schedule. You needn’t envy me, Yolek. You’re welcome to both the honor and the power. I’m worse off than a slave, and little children do lead me. If I’m in their good graces tomorrow afternoon on my way back from the Galilee, perhaps they’ll allow me to stop by here again. Maybe it will all have ended happily by then, and we can hug the lost lamb and think aloud together how we can set things right. Be well!”

He rose heavily from his chair, stretched himself to his full height and bulk, groaned, and reached out with an ugly hand to pat Yolek on the shoulder and Hava on the cheek. Putting an arm around Rimona, he added, as if for her ear alone, “My heart goes out to you, my friends. At most, I can have only the tiniest inkling of what you must be going through. In any case, you have my solemn word we’ll do all that is humanly possible to get the boy back to you. And now tell me, krasavitsa, were you really and truly afraid that Yolek and I were about to slug it out? Na, let me give the bandit a good hug so you can see for yourself how we feel. And goodbye to you too, young man. Don’t get up, for heaven’s sake! Yolek, be strong. And you too, Hava. And cheer up, my dear young woman. You’ll have your true love back in your arms soon enough. Goodbye to you all.”

“Your Excellency,” burst out Azariah, making a sudden dash for the doorway to block the guest’s path with his own skinny frame. Like a raw recruit coming to attention, he drew himself up stiffly with his hands at his sides. His voice, tinged with both arrogance and despair, quivered with his challenge. “Mr. Prime Minister, sir, if you’ll permit me just two minutes of your time, I have an observation to make. I know that it says in the Bible that the poor man’s wisdom is despised, but I’m sure Your Excellency must also remember the verse just before that one. All I’m asking for is two minutes.”