y for them."

"Ah yes, your Excellency," whispered the Jew, his voice trembling like
a street beggar. "Don't impose on me. I am poor; I am nearly ruined
already."

"Cease your wretched whining!" cried Servadac. "I have told you once, I
shall pay for all I buy."

"Ready money?" asked Hakkabut.

"Yes, ready money. What makes you ask?" said the captain, curious to
hear what the Jew would say.

"Well, you see--you see, your Excellency," stammered out the Jew, "to
give credit to one wouldn't do, unless I gave credit to another. You are
solvent--I mean honorable, and his lordship the count is honorable; but
maybe--maybe--"

"Well?" said Servadac, waiting, but inclined to kick the old rascal out
of his sight.

"I shouldn't like to give credit," he repeated.

"I have not asked you for credit. I have told you, you shall have ready
money."

"Very good, your Excellency. But how will you pay me?"

"Pay you? Why, we shall pay you in gold and silver and copper, while our
money lasts, and when that is gone we shall pay you in bank notes."

"Oh, no paper, no paper!" groaned out the Jew, relapsing into his
accustomed whine.

"Nonsense, man!" cried Servadac.

"No paper!" reiterated Hakkabut.

"Why not? Surely you can trust the banks of England, France, and
Russia."

"Ah no! I must have gold. Nothing so safe as gold."

"Well then," said the captain, not wanting to lose his temper, "you
shall have it your own way; we have plenty of gold for the present.
We will leave the bank notes for by and by." The Jew's countenance
brightened, and Servadac, repeating that he should come again the next
day, was about to quit the vessel.

"One moment, your Excellency," said Hakkabut, sidling up with a
hypocritical smile; "I suppose I am to fix my own prices."

"You will, of course, charge ordinary prices--proper market prices;
European prices, I mean."

"Merciful heavens!" shrieked the old man, "you rob me of my rights; you
defraud me of my privilege. The monopoly of the market belongs to me. It
is the custom; it is my right; it is my privilege to fix my own prices."

Servadac made him understand that he had no intention of swerving from
his decision.

"Merciful heavens!" again howled the Jew, "it is sheer ruin. The time of
monopoly is the time for profit; it is the time for speculation."

"The very thing, Hakkabut, that I am anxious to prevent. Just stop now,
and think a minute. You seem to forget _my_ rights; you are forge