Our congregation nearly broke up. But here Jacob
intervened with his expert decision.
"Boys," said he, "you must know that 'going out for the night' is
really a form of stealing. True, we do not steal for our own
benefit. Yet, as long as we have a hand in it, we must manage it in
a fair way. So let us figure out how many horses every one of our
patrons possesses. And let us arrange the nights according to the
number of horses each of the patrons has. According to this
calculation we shall change places. We shall spend more nights in
the meadows of those who have more horses. That will make 'fair
stealing.'"
The plan of Jacob was accepted, not as a proposition, but as an
order. Since that time we began to "steal with justice." And our
patrons slept peacefully, delighted with their unpunished thievery,
till a Gentile boy, one Serge Ivanovich, joined us on one of his own
"nights." He was the son of the village elder, and a cousin of
Peter Khlopov. He was compelled to obey Jacob, but the next morning
he blabbed about it all over the village.
Of course, our patrons were angry.
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