Page:Zangwill-King of schnorrers.djvu/114

100 100 THE KING OF SCHNORRERS.

Yankele's face was made glorious summer. Only two of the quartette knew the secret of his radiance.

" There, Rabbi," he cried exultantly. " Good Sabbath ! "

" Good Sabbath ! " added Manasseh.

"Good Sabbath," dazedly murmured the Rabbi.

"Good Sabbath," added his wife.

"Congratulate me!" cried Yankele when they got out- side.

"On what? " asked Manasseh.

"On being your future son-in-law, of course."

"Oh, on that? Certainly, I congratulate you most heartily." The two Schnorrers shook hands. " I thought you were asking for compliments on your manoeuvring."

" Vy, doesn't it deserve dem?"

" No," said Manasseh magisterially.

"No?" queried Yankele, his heart sinking again. "Vy not?"

"Why did you kill so many people?"

" Somebody must die dat I may live."

" You said that before," said Manasseh severely. " A good Schnorrer would not have slaughtered so many for his dinner. It is a waste of good material. And then you told lies ! "

"How do you know they are not dead?" pleaded Yan- ked.

The King shook his head reprovingly. " A first-class Schnorrer never lies," he laid it down.

"I might have made truth go as far as a lie — if you hadn't come to dinner yourself."

" What is that you say ? Why, I came to encourage you by showing you how easy your task was."

" On de contrary, you made it much harder for me. Dere vas no dinner left."