164 SHOLOM-ALECHEM
Junior Preparatory. I must say, I did not see anything very alarming in that. It seemed to me that anyone of our Cheder boys, an Alef-Bes scholar, could tuck it all into his belt, especially a boy like mine, for whose equal you might search an empire, and not find him. I am a father, not of you be it said! but that boy has a memory that beats everything! To cut a long story short, he went up for examination and did not pass! You ask the reason? He only got a two in arithmetic; they said he was weak at calculation, in the science of mathematics. What do you think of that? He has a memory that beats everything! I tell you, you might search an empire for his like and they come talking to me about mathematics ! Well, he failed to pass, and it vexed me very much. If he was to go up for exam- ination, let him succeed. However, being a man and not a woman, I made up my mind to it it's a mis- fortune, but a Jew is used to that. Only what was the use of talking to her with that bee in her bonnet? Once for all, Gymnasiye! I reason with her. "Tell me," say I, "(may you be well !) what is the good of it? He's safe/' say I, "from military service, being an only son, and as for Parnosseh, devil I need it for Parnosseh ! What do I care if he does become a trader like his father, a merchant like the rest of the Jews? If he is destined to become a rich man, a banker, I don't see that I'm to be pitied."
Thus do I reason with her as with the wall. "So much the better," says she, "if he has not been entered for the Junior Preparatory." "What now ?" say I.
"Now," says she, "he can go direct to the Senior Preparatory."
