'And a pleasure for me. I never knew you had such a nice display.'
'Won't you come inside, and see the stock?'
'Thank you, I must really get back home. And besides, as you say, it is threatening for rain.'
'I'll lend you a waterproof, or even sell you one cheap. Come in, sir—come in. Pray honour me.'
Congratulating himself on catching the spider, the fly followed him within.
A quarter of an hour passed, in which he must buzz about the stock. It seemed vastly difficult to veer round to the Sabbath through the web of conversation the spider wove round him. Simeon Samuels' conception of a marine-dealer's stock startled him by its comprehensiveness, and when he was asked to admire an Indian shawl, he couldn't help inquiring what it was doing there.
'Well,' explained Simeon Samuels, 'occasionally a captain or first mate will come back to England, home, and beauty, and will have neglected to buy foreign presents for his womenkind. I then remind him of the weakness of womenkind for such trophies of their menfolks' travel.'
'Excellent. I won't tell your competitors.'
'Oh, those cattle!' Simeon snapped his fingers. 'If they stole my idea, they'd not be able to carry it out. It's not easy to cajole a captain.'
'No, you're indeed a honeyed rascal,' thought the Parnass.