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152 152 THE KING OF SCHNORRERS.

of our house of worship that I wished to give you an oppor- tunity of contributing."

a Aha! your vaunted community hard up?" queried Joseph, with a complacent twinkle.

"Sir! We are the richest congregation in the world. We want nothing from anybody," indignantly protested Manasseh, as he absent-mindedly took the cup of coffee which Grobstock had ordered for him. " The difficulty merely is that, in honour of my daughter's wedding, I have donated a hundred pounds to the Synagogue which I have not yet managed to collect, although I have already devoted a day-and-a-half of my valuable time to the purpose."

" But why do you come to me? "

" What ! Do you ask me that again? "

"I — I — mean," stammered Grobstock — " why should I contribute to a Portuguese Synagogue?"

Manasseh clucked his tongue in despair of such stupidity. " It is just you who should contribute more than any Portuguese."

" I ? " Grobstock wondered if he was awake.

" Yes, you. Was not the money spent in honour of the marriage of a German Jew? It was a splendid vindication of your community."

" This is too much ! " cried Grobstock, outraged and choking.

"Too much to mark the admission to our fold of the first of your sect ! I am disappointed in you, deeply disappointed. I thought you would have applauded my generous behaviour."

" I don't care what you thought ! " gasped Grobstock. He was genuinely exasperated at the ridiculousness of the demand, but he was also pleased to find himself preserving so staunch a front against the insidious Scluwrrer. If