This completed the revulsion in Irma's mind, and while outwardly
she went about her work in the house with her usual cheerful and
willing industry, she came to regard her admirer and would be patron
with fear, loathing, and contempt. Of this, however, Samuel was
quite unaware. The girl had changed in her manner as in her dress,
but that might be because she was older, she was almost a woman,
after the Galician standard of computation. Whatever the cause,
to Samuel the change only made her more fascinating than ever,
and he set himself seriously to consider whether on the whole,
dowerless though she would be, it would not be wise for him to
devote some of his time and energy to the winning of this
fascinating young lady for himself.

The possibility of failure never entered Samuel's mind. He had an
overpowering sense of his own attractions. The question was simply
should he earnestly set himself to accomplish this end? Without
definitely making up his mind on this point, much less committing
himself to this object, Samuel allowed himself the pleasurable
occupation of trifling with the situation. But alas for Samuel's
peace of mind! and alas for his self-esteem! the daily presence of
this fascinating maiden in her new Canadian dress and with her new
Canadian manners, which appeared to go with the dress, quite swept
him away from his ordinary moorings, and he found himself tossed
upon a tempestuous sea, the helpless sport of gusts of passion that
at once surprised and humiliated him. It was an intolerably painful
experience for the self-centred and self-controlled Samuel; and
after a few months of this acute and humiliating suffering he was
prepared to accept help from almost any course.

At this point Rosenblatt, who had been keeping a watchful eye upon
the course of events, intervened.

"Samuel, my boy," he said one winter night when the store was
closed for the day, "you are acting the fool. You are letting
a little Slovak girl make a game of you."

"I attend to my own business, all the same," growled Samuel.

"You do, Samuel, my boy, you do. But you make me sorry for you,
and ashamed."

Samuel grunted, unwilling to acknowledge even partial defeat to the
man whom he had beaten more than once in his own game.

"You desire to have that little girl, Samuel, and yet you are
afraid of her."

But Samuel only snarled and swore.

"You forget she is a Galician girl."

"She is Russian," interposed Samuel, "and s