already bought from
us all he's going to; so, if he stays here, let them underwear and
millinery people entertain him. Blow him to dinner and that would be
plenty."

Once more Elkan shrugged despairingly.

"You didn't say nothing to Scheikowitz about it, did you?" Polatkin
inquired.

"Sure I didn't say nothing to him about it," Elkan said; "because----"

"Elkan," Scheikowitz called from the office, "Mr. Kapfer is waiting for
you."

Elkan had been about to disclose the conversation between himself and
Scheikowitz at Wasserbauer's that afternoon, but Marcus, at the
appearance of his partner, turned abruptly and walked into the cutting
room; and thus, when Elkan accompanied Max Kapfer uptown that evening,
his manner was so preoccupied by reason of his dilemma that Kapfer was
constrained to comment on it.

* * * * *

"What's worrying you, Lubliner?" he asked as they seated themselves in
the cafe of the Prince Clarence. "You look like you was figuring out the
interest on the money you owe."

"I'll tell you the truth, Mr. Kapfer," Elkan began, "I would like to
ask you an advice about something."

"Go as far as you like," Kapfer replied. "It don't make no difference if
a feller would be broke _oder_ in jail, he could always give somebody
advice."

"Well, it's like this," Elkan said, and forthwith he unfolded the
circumstances attending his return from Bridgetown.

"_Nu!_" Kapfer commented when Elkan concluded his narrative. "What is
that for something to worry about?"

"But the idee of the thing is wrong," Elkan protested. "In the first
place, I got lots of time to get married, on account I am only
twenty-one, Mr. Kapfer; and though a feller couldn't start in too early
in business, Mr. Kapfer, getting married is something else again. To my
mind a feller should be anyhow twenty-five before he jumps right in and
gets married."

"With some people, yes, and others, no," Kapfer rejoined.

"And in the second place," Elkan went on, "I don't like this here
_Shadchen_ business. We are living in America, not _Russland_; and in
America if a feller gets married he don't need no help from a
_Shadchen_, Mr. Kapfer."

"No," Kapfer said, "he don't need no help, Lubliner; but, just the same,
if some one would come to me any time these five years and says to me,
here is something a nice girl, understand me, with five thousand
dollars, y'understand, I would have been married _schon_ long since
already