“May evil dreams descend upon the heads of all my enemies,” she shrieked, slapping her palms indignantly together. “Are you drunk, or crazy? There’s a millionaire for you! What’s a few hundred roubles to you? Here! Take my dowry and give it away!...”
“You don’t like it? Then don’t!” he answered gruffly. “I refuse to be like the rest of them. I will not be a cut-purse!”
“Look at him!—A cut-purse!” she snarled venomously. “Fine business man you are! Am I, a proprietor, and now with child, to work fourteen and fifteen hours a day, and have my own employés go around in my place like men of leisure? My enemies won’t live to see it! May they waste in illness as long as such a thing never was and never will be!” ...
“I’ve already told you,” he interrupted incisively, “if you don’t like it, then don’t!”
“What kind of words are those!” she screamed. “I’ll have you understand that meanwhile I am the boss, and the money is mine!... Did you bring such a pile to it? Then things will be as I wish them to be. You’ll see whether they work for me or not. What do you think of the fellow? Wants to be a public benefactor! H’m!”
“Listen to me, Chyenke. None of your tricks, now!”
“None of your tricks! What are you going to do about it? Beat me? I’m not afraid of such trifles!...” She was now shrieking shrilly.
He looked at her angrily and gnashed his teeth.
Suddenly she threw on her coat and ran off to her parents....
An hour later, her father, her mother, her father’s brother Jonah the tailor, and her mother’s brother Jehiel the cobbler, stalked into the room, preceded by Chyenke, whose face shone with triumph. Drabkin greeted them with none too happy a countenance, and continued his work at the machine.