'Don't beshrew them—I will go at once.'
'And these gentlemen must await you here,' said the President, tapping his snuffbox incongruously at the 'here,' 'in order to continue the sitting if you fail.'
'I can't wait more than a quarter of an hour,' grumbled various voices in various keys.
Peleg departed nervously, upborne by the congregational esteem. He returned without even his own. Instead he carried a bulky barometer.
'You must buy this for the synagogue, gentlemen,' he said. 'It will do to hang in the lobby.'
The Parnass was the only one left in command of his breath.
'Buy a barometer!' he gasped.
'Well, it isn't any good to me,' retorted Peleg angrily.
'Then why did you buy it?' cried the Gabbai.
'It was the cheapest article I could get off with.'