" she
said. "It is the nicest way of talking in the world."

"I want to ask you a question, Nina," said Anton; "or perhaps two
questions." The tight grasping clasp made on his arm by the tips of her
fingers relaxed itself a little as she heard his words, and remarked
their altered tone. It was not, then, to be all love; and she could
perceive that he was going to be serious with her, and, as she feared,
perhaps angry. Whenever he spoke to her on any matter of business, his
manner was so very serious as to assume in her eyes, when judged by her
feelings, an appearance of anger. The Jew immediately felt the little
movement of her fingers, and hastened to reassure her. "I am quite sure
that your answers will satisfy me."

"I hope so," said Nina. But the pressure of her hand upon his arm was
not at once repeated.

"I have seen your cousin Ziska, Nina; indeed, I have seen him twice
lately; and I have seen your uncle and your aunt."

"I suppose they did not say anything very pleasant about me."

"They did not say anything very pleasant about anybody or about
anything. They were not very anxious to be pleasant; but that I did
not mind."

"I hope they did not insult you, Anton?"

"We Jews are used as yet to insolence from Christians, and do not mind
it."

"They shall never more be anything to me, if they have insulted you."

"It is nothing, Nina. We bear those things, and think that such of you
Christians as use that liberty of a vulgar tongue, which is still
possible towards a Jew in Prague, are simply poor in heart and
ignorant."

"They are poor in heart and ignorant."

"I first went to your uncle's office in the Ross Markt, where I saw him
and your aunt and Ziska. And afterwards Ziska came to me, at our own
house. He was tame enough then."

"To your own house?"

"Yes; to the Jews' quarter. Was it not a condescension? He came into
our synagogue and ferreted me out. You may be sure that he had
something very special to say when he did that. But he looked as though
he thought that his life were in danger among us."

"But, Anton, what had he to say?"

"I will tell you. He wanted to buy me off."

"Buy you off!"

"Yes; to bribe me to give you up. Aunt Sophie does not relish the idea
of having a Jew for her nephew."

"Aunt Sophie!--but I will never call her Aunt Sophie again. Do you mean
that they offered you money?"

"They offered me property, my dear, which is the same. But they did it
economically, for