abriel's ring-worms. But I have washed my hands of her; she can
go her way and I'll go mine. I've taken an oath I'll have nothing to do
with her and her children--no, not if I live a thousand years. It's all
through Milly's ignorance she has had such heavy losses."

"What! Mr. Phillips's business been doing badly? I'm so sorry."

"No, no! my family never does bad business. It's my Milly's children.
She lost two. As for my Leah, God bless her, she's been more unfortunate
still; I always said that old beggar-woman had the Evil Eye! I sent her
to Liverpool with her Sam."

"I know," murmured Esther.

"But she is a good daughter. I wish I had a thousand such. She writes to
me every week and my little Ezekiel writes back; English they learn them
in that heathen school," Malka interrupted herself sarcastically, "and
it was I who had to learn him to begin a letter properly with 'I write
you these few lines hoping to find you in good health as, thank God, it
leaves me at present;' he used to begin anyhow--"

She came to a stop, having tangled the thread of her discourse and
bethought herself of offering Esther a peppermint. But Esther refused
and bethought herself of inquiring after Mr. Birnbaum.

"My Michael is quite well, thank God," said Malka, "though he is still
pig-headed in business matters! He buys so badly, you know; gives a
hundred pounds for what's not worth twenty."

"But you said business was all right?"

"Ah, that's different. Of course he sells at a good profit,--thank God.
If I wanted to provoke Providence I could keep my carriage like any of
your grand West-End ladies. But that doesn't make him a good buyer. And
the worst of it is he always thinks he has got a bargain. He won't
listen to reason, at all," said Malka, shaking her head dolefully. "He
might be a child of mine, instead of my husband. If God didn't send him
such luck and blessing, we might come to want bread, coal, and meat
tickets ourselves, instead of giving them away. Do you know I found out
that Mrs. Isaacs, across the square, only speculates her guinea in the
drawings to give away the tickets she wins to her poor relations, so
that she gets all the credit of charity and her name in the papers,
while saving the money she'd have to give to her poor relations all the
same! Nobody can say I give my tickets to my poor relations. You should
just see how much my Michael vows away at _Shool_--he's been _Parnass_
for the last twelve years straight