our knock--you
are welcome; sit down."

"I am welcome," said Manasseh, sitting down; "he! he! he! you know my
knock--I bring you money--_bueno_!"

There was something very peculiar in the sound of that _bueno_--I never
forgot it.

Thereupon a conversation ensued between Rabbi Manasseh and the Armenian,
in a language which I knew to be Spanish, though a peculiar dialect. It
related to a mercantile transaction. The Rabbi sighed heavily as he
delivered to the other a considerable sum of money.

"It is right," said the Armenian, handing a receipt. "It is right; and I
am quite satisfied."

"You are satisfied--you have taken money. _Bueno_, I have nothing to say
against your being satisfied."

"Come, Rabbi," said the Armenian, "do not despond; it may be your turn
next to take money; in the meantime, can't you be persuaded to taste my
Cyprus?"

"He! he! he! senor, you know I do not love wine. I love Noah when he is
himself; but, as Janus, I love him not. But you are merry; _bueno_, you
have a right to be so."

"Excuse me," said I; "but does Noah ever appear as Janus?"

"He! he! he!" said the Rabbi, "he only appeared as Janus once--una vez
quando estuvo borracho; which means--"

"I understand," said I; "when he was . . . " and I drew the side of my
right hand sharply across my left wrist.

"Are you one of our people?" said the Rabbi.

"No," said I, "I am one of the Goyim; but I am only half enlightened. Why
should Noah be Janus when he was in that state?"

"He! he! he! you must know that in Lasan akhades wine is janin."

"In Armenian, kini," said I; "in Welsh, gwin; Latin, vinum; but do you
think that Janus and janin are one?"

"Do I think? Don't the commentators say so? Does not Master Leo
Abarbenel say so, in his 'Dialogues of Divine Love'?"

"But," said I, "I always thought that Janus was a god of the ancient
Romans, who stood in a temple open in time of war, and shut in time of
peace; he was represented with two faces, which--which--"

"He! he! he!" said the Rabbi, rising from his seat; "he had two faces,
had he? And what did those two faces typify? You do not know; no, nor
did the Romans who carved him with two faces know why they did so; for
they were only half enlightened, like you and the rest of the Goyim. Yet
they were right in carving him with two faces looking from each
other--they were right, though they knew not why; there was a tradition
among them that the Janinoso had two faces