"Nonsense!" said Yankelé, staggered. "How can you know so exact?" "Do you think I cannot do simple addition?" responded Manasseh sternly. "Are not these your ten items?" "A child could sum it up," concluded Manasseh severely. Yankelé was subdued to genuine respect and consternation by da Costa's marvellous memory and arithmetical genius. But he rallied immediately. "Of course, I also reckoned on a dowry mid my bride, if only a hundred pounds." "Well, invested in Consols, that would not bring you four pounds more," replied Manasseh instantly. [77] [77] "The rest vill be made up in extra free meals," Yankelé answered no less quickly. "For ven I take your daughter off your hands you vill be able to afford to invite me more often to your table dan you do now." "Not at all," retorted Manasseh, "for now that I know how well off you are I shall no longer feel I am doing a charity." "Oh, yes, you vill," said Yankelé insinuatingly. "You are too much a man of honour to know as a private philantropist vat I have told de marriage-broker, de fader-in-law and de fellow Schnorrer. Besides, I vould have de free meals from you as de son-in-law, not de Schnorrer." "In that relation I should also have free meals from you," rejoined Manasseh. "I never dared to tink you vould do me de honour. But even so I can never give you such good meals as you give me. So dere is still a balance in my favour." "That is true," said da Costa thoughtfully. "But you have still about a guinea to make up." Yankelé was driven into a corner at last. But he flashed[78] back, without perceptible pause, "You do not allow for vat I save by my piety. I fast twenty times a year, and surely dat is at least anoder guinea per annum." [78] "But you will have children," retorted da Costa. Yankelé shrugged his shoulders. "Dat is de affair of de Holy One, blessed be He. Ven He sends dem He vill provide for dem. You must not forget, too, dat mid your daughter de dowry vould be noting so small as a hundred pounds."
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