d to old man Zudrowsky's daughter and certainly them people would
give him a whole lot of help."

"What people do you mean?" Abe asked.

"Zudrowsky & Cohen," Noblestone answered. "Do you know 'em, Potash?"

Abe laughed raucously.

"Do I know 'em?" he said. "A question! Them people got a reputation
among the trade which you wouldn't believe at all. Yes, Noblestone, if I
would take it another partner, y'understand, I would as lief get a
feller what's got the backing of a couple of them cut-throats up in Sing
Sing, so much do I think of Zudrowsky & Cohen."

"All I got to say to that, Potash, is that you don't know them people,
otherwise you wouldn't talk that way."

"Maybe I don't know 'em as good as some concerns know 'em, Noblestone,
but that's because I was pretty lucky. Leon Sammet tells me he wouldn't
trust 'em with the wrapping paper on a C. O. D. shipment of two
dollars."

Noblestone rose to his feet and assumed an attitude of what he believed
to be injured dignity.

"I hear enough from you, Potash," he said, "and some day you will be
sorry you talk that way about a concern like Zudrowsky & Cohen. If you
couldn't say nothing good about 'em, you should shut up your mouth."

"I could say one thing good about 'em, Noblestone," Abe retorted, as
the business broker opened the store door. "They ain't ashamed of a
couple of good old-time names like Zudrowsky & Cohen."

This was an allusion to the circumstance that Philip Noblestone had once
been Pesach Edelstein, and the resounding bang with which the broker
closed the door behind him, was gratifying evidence to Abe that his
parting shot had found its target.

"Well, Noblestone," Zudrowsky cried, as the broker entered the show-room
of Zudrowsky & Cohen, "what did he say?"

"He says he wouldn't consider it at all," Noblestone answered. "He ain't
in no condition to talk about it anyway, because he feels too sore about
his old partner, Pincus Vesell. That feller done him up to the tune of
ten thousand dollars."

In Noblestone's scheme of ethics, to multiply a fact by two was to speak
the truth unadorned.

"S'enough, Noblestone," Zudrowsky cried. "If Potash lost so much money
as all that, I wouldn't consider him at all. One thing you got to
remember, Noblestone. Me, I am putting up five thousand dollars for
Harry Federmann, and what that feller don't know about business,
Noblestone, you could take it from me, would make even _you_ a
millionaire, if you would