"Mr. Scheikowitz," Elkan pleaded, "do me the favour and don't go beating bushes round. What are you trying to drive into?"
"I am trying to drive into this, Elkan," Scheikowitz replied: "I have got for you an elegant Shidduch."
"Shidduch!" Elkan exclaimed. "For me? Why, Mr. Scheikowitz, I don't want no Shidduch yet a while; and anyhow, Mr. Scheikowitz, if I would get married I would be my own Shadchen."
"Schmooes, Elkan!" Scheikowitz exclaimed. "A feller which is his own Shadchen remains single all his life long."
"That suits me all right," Elkan commented as they reached Wasserbauer's. "I would remain single und fertig."
"What d'ye mean, you would remain single?" Scheikowitz cried. "Is some one willing to pay you five thousand dollars you should remain single, Elkan? Oser a Stück, Elkan; and, furthermore, this here Miss Birdie Maslik is got such a face, Elkan, which, honest, if she wouldn't have a cent to her name, understand me, you would say she is beautiful anyhow."
"Miss Birdie Maslik!" Elkan murmured.
"B. Maslik's a Tochter," Scheikowitz added; "and remember, Elkan, don't breathe a word of this to Polatkin, otherwise he would never get through talking about it. Moreover, you will go up to Maslik's house to-morrow night with Charles Fischko, the Shadchen."
"Now listen here to me, Mr. Scheikowitz," Elkan protested. "I ain't going nowheres with no Shadchen—and that's all there is to it."
"Aber, Elkan," Scheikowitz said, "this here Fischko ain't a Shadchen exactly. He's really a real-estater, aber real estate is so dead nowadays the feller must got to make a living somehow; so it ain't like you would be going somewheres mit a Shadchen, Elkan. Actually you are going somewheres mit a real-estater. Ain't it?"