“He is a Jew and a dog,” said this latter, shaking a forefinger close to my face.
“Is he?” said I. The words had hardly escaped my lips when the other Jew whipped his arm through mine and quickly re-wheeled me towards him.
“He is a liar and a cheat,” hissed he, with the same motion of the forefinger as his rival had used.
“Indeed!” said I, beginning to wonder what it all meant. I had not, however, long time to wonder, being once more set spinning by the Israelite of the red tract.
“Beware of the Jews?” he whispered, pointing to the other; and the conversation was continued in the following strain. Although in the common sense of the word it really was no conversation, as each of them addressed himself to me only, and I could find no reply, still, taking the word in its literal meaning (from con, together, and verto, I turn), it was indeed a conversation, for they turned me together, each one, as he addressed me, hooking his arm in mine and whirling me round like the handle of an air-pump or a badly constructed teetotum, and shaking a forefinger in my face, as if I were a parrot and he wanted me to swear.
Shylock of the green tract.—“He is a swine and a scoundrel.”
Israelite of the red.—“He’s a liar and a thief.”
Shylock of the green.—“And he’ll get round you some way.”
Israelite of red.—“Ahab and brothers cheat everybody they can.”
Shylock of green.—“He’ll be lending you money.”