The Doll - Bolesaw Prus [115]
‘So all your family plays charades?’ Wokulski interrupted.
‘Not only my family,’ Szlangbaum replied, ‘but among us Jews, when young people meet together, they do not waste time as you do with dances, compliments, fine clothes or other nonsense, but they study accounts or learned books, or quiz one another or solve charades and chess problems. Among us, the intellect is always at work, and that is why we Jews have intellect and why—don’t be offended—we are conquering the world. Among you, everything is done by emotional excitement and wars, while we use wisdom and patience.’
The last words struck Wokulski. He, after all, would win Izabela by wisdom and patience…Some comfort entered his heart, so that he ceased hesitating and suddenly said: ‘I have a request to make of you, Mr Szlangbaum.’
‘Your requests are my commands, Mr Wokulski.’
‘I want to buy the Łęcki house.’
‘I know that house. It will go for sixty thousand.’
‘I want it to go for ninety thousand, and need someone to bid up to that sum.’
The Jew opened his eyes wide: ‘How so? You want to pay thirty thousand roubles more?’ he asked.
‘Yes…’
‘Excuse me, but I do not understand you. If you were selling the house, and Łęcki wanted to buy it, then it would be in your interest to send the price up. But if you are buying it, then it is in your interest to lower the price.’
‘It is in my interest to pay more.’
The old man shook his head and after a moment said: ‘If I did not know you, I should think you were doing bad business, but because I know you, I think you are doing—strange business. You are not only immobilising cash and losing some ten per cent interest annually, but on top of that you want to pay thirty thousand roubles extra. Mr Wokulski,’ he added taking him by the hand, ‘do not do such a foolish thing. I, old Szlangbaum, beseech you…’
‘Believe me when I say that good will come of it.’
The old Jew suddenly put one finger to his nose. His eyes sparkled and so did his pearly teeth: ‘Aha,’ he cried, ‘well, this just shows how old I am—not to guess it directly! You give Mr Łęcki thirty thousand roubles, and he does business with you worth perhaps a hundred thousand…Gut! I shall find you a bidder who will send up the price—and for the fee of only fifteen roubles. A very respectable gentleman, a Catholic too, only one must not give him an advance on the fee…I shall also provide you with some very respectable ladies, who will bid for you too…I can also give you a couple of Jews, at five roubles each…It will be such an auction that you could pay a hundred and fifty thousand for that house, and nobody would be any the wiser.’
Wokulski was rather embarrassed: ‘In any case, the matter will remain confidential?’ he said.
‘Mr Wokulski,’ replied the Jew solemnly, ‘you had no need to say that. Your secret is mine. You protected my little Henryk; you do not persecute the Jews…’
They said good-day, and Wokulski went home. There he found Maruszewicz, with whom he went to the riding-school to inspect the horse he had purchased.
The riding-school consisted of two connected buildings arranged in the form of a diamond-cutter. The round part held the school, the long part the stables. When Wokulski and Maruszewicz entered, a riding lesson was in progress. Four gentlemen and a lady were riding one behind the other around the wall of the ring; in the middle stood the director of the establishment, a man with