d Dow, dese two Potters, de leetle
Cuyp,--a veritable treasure, and de Mieris,--de best he ever painted,
and de rest, wit de land-schaft of Both, for eighty tousand seven
hundred florins. It is a schenk--a gift away--noting else."

"You forget, my excellent friend Stein," said Beecher, with more
assurance than he had yet assumed, "that it was to receive and not spend
money I came here this morning."

"You do a leetle of all de two--a leetle of both, so to say," replied
the Jew. "What moneys you want?"

"Come, this is speaking reasonably. Davis's letter mentions a couple of
thousand florins; but if you are inclined to stretch the amount to five,
or even four thousand, we 'll not fall out about the terms."

"How you mean--no fall out about de terms?" said the other, sharply.

"I meant that for a stray figure or so, in the way of discount, we
should n't disagree. You may, in fact, make your own bargain."

"Make my own bargain, and pay myself too," muttered the Jew. "Ach, der
Davis, how he would laugh!--ha! ha! ha!"

"Well, I don't see much to laugh at, old gent, except it be at my own
folly, to stand here so long chaffering about these paltry two thousand
florins. And now I say, 'Yea or nay, will you book up, or not?'"

"Will you buy de Cuyp and de Wouvermans and de Ostade?--dat is the
question."

"Egad, if you furnish the ready, I 'll buy the Cathedral and the
Cursaal. I 'm not particular as to the investment when the cash is
easily come at."

"De cash is very easy to come at," said the Jew, with a strange grin.

"You 're a trump, Lazarus!" cried Beecher, in ecstasy at his good
fortune. "If I had known you some ten years ago, I 'd have been
another man to-day. I was always looking out for one really fair,
honester-hearted fellow to deal with, but I never met with him till
now."

"How you have it,--gold or notes?" said Lazarus.

"Well, a little of both, I think," said Beecher, his eyes greedily
devouring the glittering little columns of gold before him.

"How your title?--how your name?" asked Stein, taking up a pen.

"My name is Annesley Beecher. You may write me the 'Honorable Annesley
Beecher.'"

"Lord of--"

"I 'm not Lord of anything. I'm next in succession to a peerage, that's
all."

"He call you de Viscount--I forget de name."

"Lackington, perhaps?"

"Yaas, dat is de name; and say, give him de moneys for his bill. Now,
here is de acceptance, and here you put your sign, across dis."

"I '