"Well, all I say is it's a beastly disgrace. Look at the years he's been in England—just as long as we have." Then the humor of the remark dawned upon him and he laughed. "I suppose he's out of work, as usual," he added.
Moses's ears pricked up at the syllables "out-of-work," which to him was a single word of baneful meaning.
"Yes," he said in Yiddish. "But if I only had a few pounds to start with
I could work up a splendid business."
"Wait! He shall have a business," said Benjamin when Esther interpreted.
"Don't listen to him," said Esther. "The Board of Guardians has started him again and again. But he likes to think he is a man of business."
Meantime Isaac had been busy explaining Benjamin to Sarah, and pointing out the remarkable confirmation of his own views as to birthdays. This will account for Esther's next remark being, "Now, dears, no fighting to-day. We must celebrate Benjy's return. We ought to kill a fatted calf—like the man in the Bible."
"What are you talking about, Esther?" said Benjamin suspiciously.
"I'm so sorry, nothing, only foolishness," said Esther. "We really must do something to make a holiday of the occasion. Oh, I know; we'll have tea before you go, instead of waiting till supper-time. Perhaps Rachel'll be back from the Park. You haven't seen her yet."
"No, I can't stay," said Benjy. "It'll take me three-quarters of an hour getting to the station. And you've got no fire to make tea with either."
"Nonsense, Benjy. You seem to have forgotten everything; we've got a loaf and a penn'uth of tea in the cupboard. Solomon, fetch a farthing's worth of boiling water from the Widow Finkelstein."