"How we all eagerly cluster round it and watch the red hot charcoal,
hoping that by _looking at it_ the warmth will go into our bodies! Such
a small amount of charcoal as we can afford does not warm a room very
much, so all the windows are closed tightly to prevent any cold air
coming in. This also prevents the fumes of the burning charcoal from
escaping, so naturally the air gets very stuffy, and many suffer from
headaches or fall into a heavy sleep.

"You will wonder why it is many people do not get frozen. Well, the old
proverb holds good here, that 'Necessity is the mother of invention,' so
even in the coldest weather we have a remedy; for we heat also our brass
samovar, which holds about thirty glasses of tea, and we drink a glass
of hot tea every now and then.

"As the samovar boils all day the steam also sends out some warmth into
the room.

"Then, again, the younger children are during the very cold weather kept
warm in bed with feather coverlets and pillows, which the elder people
try to keep warm in doing the necessary household duties. Very few go
out in the streets, except the men when they go to Shule, and the elder
boys when they go to the Yeshiba or Cheder, and even they are very often
kept at home.

"One comfort is that 'Father Frost' does not stay long, so we can manage
to bear his icy breath: the greatest hardship is when he visits us on a
Sabbath, for of course on that day we cannot heat the samovar and so we
have to do with less tea.

"We prepare our Sabbath meals in a small scullery, or porch, in which a