which if Ryan &
Bernbaum makes from their 'Diners Out' a hundred thousand dollars,
_verstehst du_, I could easily make a hundred and fifty thousand! And
yet, Mr. Lubliner, all I invest is five thousand dollars and five
thousand more which I am making a loan at a bank."

"Which bank?" Elkan asked--so quickly that Benson almost jumped in his
seat.

"I--I didn't decide which bank yet," he replied. "You see, Mr. Lubliner,
I got accounts in three banks. First I belonged to the Fifteenth
National Bank. Then they begged me I should go in the Minuit National
Bank. All right. I went in the Minuit National Bank. H'afterward Sam
Feder comes to me and says: 'Benson,' he says, 'you are an old friend
from mine,' he says. 'Why do you bother yourself you should go into this
bank and that bank?' he says. 'Why don't you come to my bank?' he says,
'and I would give you all the money you want.' So you see, Mr. Lubliner,
it is immaterial to me which bank I get my money from."

Again he passed his jewelled fingers through his hair.

"No, Mr. Lubliner," he announced after a pause, "my own brother even I
wouldn't give a look-in."

Elkan made no reply. As a result of Benson's gesture he was busy
estimating the value of eight and a quarter carats at eighty-seven
dollars and fifty cents a carat.

"Because," Benson continued, "the profits is something you could really
call enormous! If you got the time I would like to show you a few
figures."

"I got all evening," Elkan answered, whereat Benson pulled from his
waistcoat pocket a fountain pen ornamented with gold filigree.

"First," he said, "is the costumes."

And therewith he plunged into a maze of calculation that lasted for
nearly an hour. Moreover, at the end of that period he entered into a
new series of figures, tending to show that by the investment of an
additional five thousand dollars the profits could be increased
seventy-five per cent.

"But I'm satisfied to invest my ten thousand," he said, "because five
thousand is my own and the other five thousand I could get easy from the
Kosciuscko Bank, whereas the additional five thousand I must try to
interest somebody he should invest it with me. And so far as that goes I
wouldn't bother myself at all."

"You're dead right," Elkan said by way of making himself agreeable,
whereat Benson grew crimson with chagrin.

"Sure I'm dead right," he said; "and if you and Mrs. Lubliner would come
down to my office in the Siddons Theatre