登陆注册
14824800000023

第23章

"Now, if /you/ went to her father," pursued the Shadchan, "the odds are that he would not even give you his daughter--to say nothing of the dowry. After all, it is a cheek of you to aspire so high. As you told me from the first, you haven't saved a penny. Even my commission you won't be able to pay till you get the dowry. But if /I/ go I do not despair of getting a substantial sum--to say nothing of the daughter."

"Yes, I think you had better go," said Leibel, eagerly.

"But if I do this thing for you I shall want a pound more," rejoined Sugarman.

"A pound more!" echoed Leibel, in dismay. "Why?"

"Because Rose Green's hump is of gold," replied Sugarman, oracularly.

"Also, she is fair to see, and many men desire her."

"But you have always your five per cent, on the dowry."

"It will be less than Volcovitch's," explained Sugarman. "You see, Green has other and less beautiful daughters."

"Yes, but then it settles itself more easily. Say five shillings."

"Eliphaz Green is a hard man," said the Shadchan instead.

"Ten shillings is the most I will give!"

"Twelve and sixpence is the least I will take. Eliphaz Green haggles so terribly."

They split the difference, and so eleven and threepence represented the predominance of Eliphaz Green's stinginess over Volcovitch's.

The very next day Sugarman invaded the Green workroom. Rose bent over her seams, her heart fluttering. Leibel had duly apprised her of the roundabout manner in which she would have to be won, and she had acquiesced in the comedy. At the least it would save her the trouble of father-taming.

Sugarman's entry was brusque and breathless. He was overwhelmed with joyous emotion. His blue bandana trailed agitatedly from his coat- tail.

"At last!" he cried, addressing the little white-haired master tailor;

"I have the very man for you."

"Yes?" grunted Eliphaz, unimpressed. The monosyllable was packed with emotion. It said, "Have you really the face to come to me again with an ideal man?"

"He has all the qualities that you desire," began the Shadchan, in a tone that repudiated the implications of the monosyllable. "He is young, strong, God-fearing--"

"Has he any money?" grumpily interrupted Eliphaz.

"He /will/ have money," replied Sugarman, unhesitatingly, "when he marries."

"Ah!" The father's voice relaxed, and his foot lay limp on the treadle. He worked one of his machines himself, and paid himself the wages so as to enjoy the profit. "How much will he have?"

"I think he will have fifty pounds; and the least you can do is to let him have fifty pounds," replied Sugarman, with the same happy ambiguity.

Eliphaz shook his head on principle.

"Yes, you will," said Sugarman, "when you learn how fine a man he is."

The flush of confusion and trepidation already on Leibel's countenance became a rosy glow of modesty, for he could not help overhearing what was being said, owing to the lull of the master tailor's machine.

"Tell me, then," rejoined Eliphaz.

"Tell me, first, if you will give fifty to a young, healthy, hard- working, God-fearing man, whose idea it is to start as a master tailor on his own account? And you know how profitable that is!"

"To a man like that," said Eliphaz, in a burst of enthusiasm, "I would give as much as twenty-seven pounds ten!"

Sugarman groaned inwardly, but Leibel's heart leaped with joy. To get four months' wages at a stroke! With twenty-seven pounds ten he could certainly procure several machines, especially on the instalment system. Out of the corners of his eyes he shot a glance at Rose, who was beyond earshot.

"Unless you can promise thirty it is waste of time mentioning his name," said Sugarman.

"Well, well--who is he?"

Sugarman bent down, lowering his voice into the father's ear.

"What! Leibel!" cried Eliphaz, outraged.

"Sh!" said Sugarman, "or he will overhear your delight, and ask more.

He has his nose high enough, as it is."

"B--b--b--ut," sputtered the bewildered parent, "I know Leibel myself.

I see him every day. I don't want a Shadchan to find me a man I know-- a mere hand in my own workshop!"

"Your talk has neither face nor figure," answered Sugarman, sternly.

"It is just the people one sees every day that one knows least. I warrant that if I had not put it into your head you would never have dreamt of Leibel as a son-in-law. Come now, confess."

Eliphaz grunted vaguely, and the Shadchan went on triumphantly: "I thought as much. And yet where could you find a better man to keep your daughter?"

"He ought to be content with her alone," grumbled her father.

Sugarman saw the signs of weakening, and dashed in, full strength:

"It's a question whether he will have her at all. I have not been to him about her yet. I awaited your approval of the idea." Leibel admired the verbal accuracy of these statements, which he had just caught.

"But I didn't know he would be having money," murmured Eliphaz.

"Of course you didn't know. That's what the Shadchan is for--to point out the things that are under your nose."

"But where will he be getting this money from?"

"From you," said Sugarman, frankly.

"From me?"

"From whom else? Are you not his employer? It has been put by for his marriage day."

"He has saved it?"

"He has not /spent/ it," said Sugarman, impatiently.

"But do you mean to say he has saved fifty pounds?"

"If he could manage to save fifty pounds out of your wages he would be indeed a treasure," said Sugarman. "Perhaps it might be thirty."

"But you said fifty."

"Well, /you/ came down to thirty," retorted the Shadchan. "You cannot expect him to have more than your daughter brings."

"I never said thirty," Eliphaz reminded him. "Twenty-seven ten was my last bid."

"Very well; that will do as a basis of negotiations," said Sugarman, resignedly. "I will call upon him this evening. If I were to go over and speak to him now, he would perceive you were anxious, and raise his terms, and that will never do. Of course you will not mind allowing me a pound more for finding you so economical a son-in-law?"

"Not a penny more."

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 剑客行

    剑客行

    “人常言,‘孤行剑客,天下第一。’”“为什么你不愿意?””......“”唉,你走吧。人,我来杀。罪,我来背。“只要你们过的好就行。——他如是道。
  • 当笨蛋爱上傻瓜

    当笨蛋爱上傻瓜

    逗逼篇:数学老师:“直觉是靠不住的,直觉要是靠得住,母猪都能上树了。”女主:“我又为天下的母猪平反一次了,母猪也是有机会上树的。”语文老师让女主背毛泽东的《沁园春?雪》。女主:“考试如此多焦,引无数学生尽通宵,惜学霸优生,胆子太小,学渣差生,不得不抄。一代栋梁,莘莘学子,不得不把白卷交,俱往矣,要想及格,还得靠抄。”纯爱篇:男主:不管我对你的爱有多深,说出来就没有那么刻骨刻骨铭心。如果你不能感受到,不是你迟钝,是我的努力还不够,那么我会继续努力。只要能让她开心的事,做什么都值得!
  • 处世三国

    处世三国

    项天乃项羽之后,一介孤儿。后师从左慈,习得仙术。后追随关羽,从刘备,成霸业。
  • 涅金传说

    涅金传说

    本已死亡的小小少年金在二十年后意外的复活了,失去了所有的记忆他在失去了世界上唯一的亲人后,彷徨在这世界,拖着他那废物的体质……又一次意外的经历,他得到了一个黑石,这里面有他所梦寐以求的记忆,在所有的记忆复苏后,他,不在平凡了……废物体质的崛起!物体质的呐喊!废物我也给他练成个天才!涅磐重生,只为今朝崛起!废物再生,只为清清楚楚得活个明白!这片大地,必将为我而震动不休!看我涅金搅他个天翻!再地覆!
  • 孙灵历险记

    孙灵历险记

    高端大气上档次,低调奢华有内涵的孙灵,遇到了碰瓷的陆仁甲,有种想一砖拍死他的冲动。但陆仁甲却意外的让孙灵习得了绝世神功……之后孙灵和伙伴们踏上了修真之路。“那就干翻他!”这是孙灵面对一个个强大敌人的口头禅。在孙灵以为自己的人生在最充实饱满的时候,突如其来的打击,让他彻底崩溃。这时,一个人的出现,孙灵的身世之谜浮出了水面。“我守你两世,你只需还我一世幸福。”
  • 桓香缘

    桓香缘

    北宋末,韩香云----她本是御史中丞韩忠之女,活泼烂漫,自然率真。但命运不幸,家门遭蔡京一党陷害,满门查抄,父母相继死去,自己沦为官妓。赵桓----徽宗之子,还身为太子的他,从小就生活在抑郁寡欢之中,虽贵为太子,却找不到自己,活在自己的影子里。直到他们相遇,本是无缘,冥冥之中却又有缘,在北宋飘摇动荡中不断成长,赵桓逐渐走出阴影,一步一步走上有担当有自信的末代皇帝。挽救在风雨飘摇中的王朝。香云在时代的变迁中逐渐明白自己人生的归宿与好好活下去的意义·······
  • 虚假的一半

    虚假的一半

    这故事没有主角,只有每个人物自己的故事。
  • 刺客信条:清

    刺客信条:清

    以在这时代在背负的恶名,用剑刃代替救赎那些灵魂被侵蚀黑透的人,但刃尖从不抵向无辜之人。遵循刺客之道,诺下道义信条。清政府从兴直衰的结局已被注定,但曾有不少人试图用双手改变历史,最终改变的终究是自己的命运。这里所写的是晚清时期几位来自中国刺客的传奇一生,文章角度以第一人称开写暂时停更
  • 初代猎魔师

    初代猎魔师

    我以拖更为骨,贱似小贤,残似子乔常立于拖更而不能自拔。
  • 斗战霸魔

    斗战霸魔

    一句谎言,一世战争,涂炭何止千万?神灵降世,天柱封魔,换来万载千秋。霸魔再现,神魔哀伤,一怒天柱崩塌!凝霸骨,修金身,善恶只存一念!因为魔眼,他饱受世间冷眼,因为战争,家族从此一蹶不振。一个神秘石印,一个平凡少年,一段不平凡的人生..PS:新书期一天五更!