hour later.

"_Nu!_" he growled. "Where was you now?"

"By the steamship office," Abe replied. "I am going next Saturday."

"Going next Saturday?" Morris repeated. "Where to?"

"To Paris," Abe replied, "on the same ship with Moe Griesman, Leon
Sammet and Hymie Salzman."

Morris nodded slowly as the news sank in.

"Well, all I could say is, Abe," he commented at length, "that I don't
wish you and the other passengers no harm, y'understand; but, with them
three suckers on board the ship, I hope it sinks."

* * * * *

The five days preceding Abe's departure were made exceedingly busy for
him by Morris, who soon became reconciled to his partner's
fashion-hunting trip, particularly when he learned that Moe Griesman
formed part of the quarry.

"You got to remember one thing, Abe," he declared. "Extremes is nix. Let
the other feller buy the freaks; what we are after is something in
moderation."

"You shouldn't worry about that, Mawruss," Abe replied. "I wouldn't
bring you home no such model like you showed it me this week."

"You would be lucky if you wouldn't bring home worser yet," Morris
retorted. "But anyhow that ain't the point. I got here the names of a
couple commission men which it is their business to look out for
greenhorns."

"What d'ye mean, greenhorn?" Abe cried indignantly. "I ain't no
greenhorn."

"That's all right," Morris went on; "in France only the Frenchers ain't
greenhorns. You ain't told me what kind of a stateroom you got it."

"Well, the outside rooms was one hundred and twenty-five dollars and the
inside room, was eight-five dollars," Abe explained; "so I took an
inside room because the light wouldn't come in and wake me up so early
in the morning, Mawruss, and forty dollars is as good to me as it is to
them suckers what runs the steamboat company. Ain't it?"

Nevertheless, when Abe found himself in his upper berth the morning
after he had parted with Minnie, Rosie, and Morris at the pier, he had
reason to regret his economy. He shared his stateroom with a singer of
minor operatic roles, who, as a souvenir of a farewell luncheon ashore,
carried into that narrow precinct an odour of garlic that persisted for
the entire voyage. In addition, the returning artist smoked Egyptian
cigarettes and anointed his generous head of hair with violet
brilliantine. Hence it was not until the boat was passing Brow Head that
Abe staggered up the companionway to the prom