e to wife. So now I want your advice as to what
sort of furniture I am to give her as wedding-present."

All these words were plainly audible in the adjoining room. Teresa
involuntarily covered Fanny's head, which was hidden in her breast, as
if she feared that this artless tale would win her credence, and so
deceive her youthful mind, for young girls are so very credulous. Why,
they even inquire of the flowers, "Does he love me, or does he not love
me?" What will they not do, then, if any one looks straight into their
eyes?

Mr. Boltay had gradually pulled himself together during the course of
this speech, and all the answer he gave when it was quite finished was
to step to a writing-table, search diligently for something, and begin
to write rapidly.

"I suppose he is looking up his patterns and making out his account,"
thought Abellino to himself; and meanwhile he began looking about him,
wondering in which of the rooms this Philistine kept his little
sugar-plum, and whether the girl had heard what he had just been saying.

The master-carpenter had by this time finished his scribbling and
rummaging, and he now beckoned Karpathy to the table, and counted out
before him a bundle of hundred-florin notes in six lots, together with
four florins in twenty-kreutzer pieces, and thirty red copper kreutzers
besides.

"Look here!" said he; "count. There are one, two, three, four, five, six
thousand florins in notes, twenty florins in silver, and thirty copper
pieces"--and he indicated the money with a wave of his hand.

"What the deuce does this Philistine mean by showing his dirty halfpence
to me?" thought Abellino.

"And now be so good as to sit down and write me a receipt."

And he thrust into the young gentleman's hand a form of receipt for six
thousand florins, with four florins thirty kreutzers interest, which
amount was declared to have been a loan to the undermentioned "Miss
Fanny Meyer," but was now discharged in full on the date indicated.

Abellino was immensely surprised. That these dull Philistines with fat,
fleshy cheeks should see through his whole design--for this he was not
in the least prepared. On the other hand, he could not have had a better
opportunity for playing the injured gentleman.

With silent, grandseignorial, superciliousness he surveyed the artisan
from head to foot, cracking his horse-whip once or twice by way of
expressing that language was here superfluous, then he turned to go.

Al