152 THE KING OF SCHNORRERS.
of our house of worship that I wished to give you an oppor- tunity of contributing."
a Aha! your vaunted community hard up?" queried Joseph, with a complacent twinkle.
"Sir! We are the richest congregation in the world. We want nothing from anybody," indignantly protested Manasseh, as he absent-mindedly took the cup of coffee which Grobstock had ordered for him. " The difficulty merely is that, in honour of my daughter's wedding, I have donated a hundred pounds to the Synagogue which I have not yet managed to collect, although I have already devoted a day-and-a-half of my valuable time to the purpose."
" But why do you come to me? "
" What ! Do you ask me that again? "
"I — I — mean," stammered Grobstock — " why should I contribute to a Portuguese Synagogue?"
Manasseh clucked his tongue in despair of such stupidity. " It is just you who should contribute more than any Portuguese."
" I ? " Grobstock wondered if he was awake.
" Yes, you. Was not the money spent in honour of the marriage of a German Jew? It was a splendid vindication of your community."
" This is too much ! " cried Grobstock, outraged and choking.
"Too much to mark the admission to our fold of the first of your sect ! I am disappointed in you, deeply disappointed. I thought you would have applauded my generous behaviour."
" I don't care what you thought ! " gasped Grobstock. He was genuinely exasperated at the ridiculousness of the demand, but he was also pleased to find himself preserving so staunch a front against the insidious Scluwrrer. If
