“Yes, honestly, my son. As honest as the world will let us be. Lord, how people do try to best one another in this world! There, I’ll give you thirty quid. Vat say you?”
“I say I want more, and I won’t take thirty quid.”
“How much more? Tell me, how much more? Now don’t take them avay, I vant to do bishness if I can, even if it is but at a small profit. Ve must live.”
“I’ll take forty. I ought to have fifty at the very least, but I can’t do with less than forty, for I am just now very hard up.”
The Jew shook his head, and said he couldn’t give forty.
After a deal of haggling, a bargain was struck, Peace took four and thirty pounds for goods which were worth considerably more than double that sum in the very lowest market, but he had no alternative, and the rapacious Jew suspected this.
As a rule Peace generally managed to get more from the Israelite than any of his compeers.
In many cases old Isaac obtained articles purloined by professional thieves for a third or even a quarter of their value.
Peace pocketed the money and returned to his rooms in Leather-lane.
He, however, deemed it advisable to leave his lodgings for a few days, till the attempted burglary at the jeweller’s was not quite so fresh in the recollection of the police authorities.