CHAPTER VI.
The Jew Abraham was the father of twelve children, all sons, and allred-haired. And each one equally resembled his father.
Yet it will be well to explain matters from the beginning.
Up till the Emperor Joseph's time, the Jews had been devoid of anyfamily names, as once in the Promised Land.
But when Joseph II. admitted the Jews to the rights of citizens, hestipulated that they should render military service if called upon, andthat they should choose a surname--and that a German one.
To this end, royal commissions were despatched on all sides which shouldprovide the Jews with surnames. And a nice business it was! Whoever hada well-filled purse had a free choice, if it so pleased him, but woe tohim who set about it empty handed, for the nickname wherewith hismocking neighbours had christened him, stuck to him pitilessly.
Because Abraham had not sufficiently opened his purse-strings, he stillhad to go by his nickname of "Rothesel," wherewith he was known amonghis neighbours.
The epithet "roth" (red), he had received from the colour of his beard,but he had been qualified as "esel" (ass), because he had done nothingmore enterprising with his wife's dowry of two hundred thalers, than buyup wine with it. On this account everyone had decided he must be an ass.And everyone, on the face of it, was right. For what could a Jew wantwith wine? He dared not retail it, for the trading rights belonged onlyto the communes, to say nothing of the difficulty of transporting itover the frontier. Whence could he carry it? for in Hungary the lawforbade any Jew to trade in such wares.
So that when his neighbours called Abraham an ass for laying out hismoney in wine when he began life, they were not far out, for he hardlyearned salt to his bread by such a business.
But Abraham was in his way a student of the times. Looking ahead, he sawunder the rule of the later Hapsburgs that many ancient laws, thoughstill unrepealed, had nevertheless fallen into desuetude, andconsequently that the statute forbidding Jews the commerce in wine,might follow suit. Consequently, Abraham found means of transporting hisHungarian vintages to Vienna. And as he was the first in the field hisenterprise was crowned with success. Nor did he deceive the customer asto the difficulties of the Hungarian wine trade.
In spite of all this, he did not part with his wealth too readily. Thecommission had expected that he would come out with ducats by thethousand, but he produced nothing more than a cellar full of wine. Inretaliation for this they left him his nickname of "Rothesel."
What did it matter to him, for what is a name after all? The name of thecreditor is always a good one, that of the debtor as surely adisgraceful one.
But his own family did not share his views on the subject. If it wasindifferent to the father what men called him, his wife and childrentook a different view of "Rothesel," and, owing to their urgentrepresentations, Abraham determined to rid himself of this incubus, yetwithout paying too dearly for it.
He reckoned two hundred ducats would cover it, and with this sum off hewent to Vienna, ostensibly, on a question of his wine trade.
Arrived there, he began to think out how best he could forward theaffair without getting too much fleeced in the process.
He began at the beginning, that is to say, at the chancery court, whereall such problems have to be conciliated. And a long list it was! Theexpediting of such business is a serious matter.
But to the Jew there suddenly came a brilliant idea. He bethought him ofan acquaintance at Court. The title of this acquaintance was doubtful,for he was only a young man, and whether to address him as a chanceryclerk or as chancellor, he knew not. He was the nephew of thepostmaster of Szent-Endre, Mr. John Leanyfalvy. This worthy had adoptedthe orphan son of his sister, while yet a child, and had sent him toVienna that he might carve out a career for himself in the imperialcity. Each time that Abraham had made his business visits there, he hadspoken to the postmaster and asked him if he had any message for "youngMatyi." And when the uncle had taken this opportunity of sending hisnephew a gift of country produce, Abraham always carried out thesecommissions faithfully, and was duly welcomed by "Mr. Matyi."
The latter was quite at home at Court, and had employment in the palaceitself. What he did there, whether he had a voice in the Kaiser'scouncils, or brushed his coat, Abraham did not know, perhaps the latterwas the likeliest supposition; in this case, he would be a patron to beprized, for servants are worth propitiating.
Consequently, the crafty Jew had determined to seek out the postmaster'snephew at headquarters. And in order he might not appear empty-handed,he took a pear with him. At that time there was a rage for pears carvedout of wood, whereof one half formed a musical box, being filled with amechanism which enabled him who put it to his mouth to produce quite arespectable tune. Such a pear did Abraham buy in a shop at Nurnberg, buthe stuffed the hollow half of the pear with two hundred ducats. Thispear he had destined for the young man if he prospered his petition withthe Emperor. The said petition was drawn up neither by agent norattorney, but as concocted by Abraham, ran thus: "Your Imperial Majesty,the high commissioners insisted on calling me 'Rothesel,' I only begpermission to insert a humble little 'i' in the middle of my name."
Furnished with this formula, Abraham set out for the palace. The_entree_ there proved much easier than he had imagined. For was therenot a standing order that no petitioner should be denied admittance? Sohe was allowed to enter the great corridor, where already many peoplewere assembled.
Abraham had what you might call prodigious luck at the very outset. Thefirst person he met in the ante-chamber was "Mr. Matyi" himself. Hisappearance was that of a refined handsome youth of aboutfour-and-twenty, with a red and white complexion like a girl's; he worehis hair powdered, a pea-green silk coat turned up with red, anembroidered waistcoat, a lace-frilled vest, with knee-breeches ofcherry-coloured velvet, silk stockings, and buckled shoes. At his sidehung an Italian rapier, and from his waistcoat pocket dangled awatch-chain laden with all kinds of trinkets. Under his arm he carriedthe tri-cornered hat of the period.
Moreover, this elegant young dandy was not ashamed to recognise his oldacquaintance in the crowd; no sooner had he caught sight of his redmantle than he went up to him, asked him how he fared, and how it waswith his uncle, and when he heard Abraham's errand, exclaimed, "Whythat's a mere trifle." Thereupon, taking his hand, he led the Jewthrough three or four rooms in succession, which they traversed withoutknocking, till they came to a fifth, where he hung his hat up on a peg,as a sign that they had reached the presence-chamber, and told the Jewto wait while he should announce him to the Emperor. Abraham's kneesnearly failed under him when he knew that only those folding doorsdivided him from the Kaiser. Yet his friend could enter freely; he mustthen be some kind of chamberlain.
In half a minute the latter was back again.
"You can enter, Abraham."
And thereupon he pushed the Jew, with his petition in his hand, throughthe door.
Abraham saw indeed little more of the Emperor than his boots, but these,he noted, had not certainly been blacked for a week; if "Mr. Matyi" wasreally his servant, he didn't know his duties that was plain.
Back came Abraham again into the ante-room.
"Mr. Matyi" was busy at a writing-table; he seemed to have someimportant correspondence to transact there.
The Jew was radiant with delight; he hardly knew where to begin: "It'sright enough; the Emperor himself has countersigned the petition withhis 'fiat.' Here is his name! He himself has put in the 'i,' praised bethe Lord!"
But suddenly he broke off in his thanksgiving as he regarded thedocument. "Ay, woe's me!"
"What is the matter, friend?"
"Why, his Majesty has clean forgotten to put the dot over the 'i,' andwithout this, the 'i' looks exactly like an 'e,' and it only means frombeing a short ass, I shall now be but a long one! Alas, I am a dead man.I beseech you to be so very kind as to put the necessary little dot infor me, so that it may be done with the same ink. You have the pen inyour hand ready."
/> "What are you thinking of?" cried "Mr. Matyi" indignantly, "to correctthe imperial hand-writing, why, it would be a rank forgery! Give me thepetition, I'll take it back to the Emperor, so he may put it in."
And thereupon, off he went through the folding doors with the paper.
Abraham breathed freely, he had attained his end, and this withoutlaying out thousands of ducats; he had managed it for two hundred. Hefumbled in the money compartment of the musical pear, and laid theducats on the writing-table of "Mr. Matyi," so that the latter shouldnot fail to see them when he returned to his correspondence.
The young man was soon back again.
"Here you are! God be with you! Greet my uncle for me, and tell him Ihave much to do, that I want for nothing, and send my good wishes, and ahappy journey to you!"
Abraham put the petition in his pocket, crying over it like a child.
"Mr. Matyi" accompanied his _protege_ to the next room, thence hetrusted him to find his way out.
While the Jew was struggling with the door-handle, back came "Mr.Matyi," red with rage, seized Abraham by the collar of his mantle, andwith the other thrust the pear under his nose, asking angrily: "What doyou mean by leaving this on my table?"
Abraham took it as a jest.
"Well now, I have only brought you some pears as usual."
"But the ducats?"
"They were for the gracious favour which the young gentleman has been sokind as to show me."
"I have shown you no kind of favour. You wanted justice and you haveobtained it. Take back your gold!"
"Why should I take it back? Hasn't the young gentleman deserved it forall his trouble? Did he not get the dot put on the 'i'?"
"I will not accept a handful of gold for a dot over an 'i.'"
"But it's worth it to me? It's not a bit too much. The young gentlemanneedn't take offence. He can pay his debts with it."
"I have no debts."
"Oh, you have no debts, do you say? Don't tell me a Viennese dandy hasno debts. You owe neither the tailor nor the host anything? What, don'tyou want to make your sweetheart a present?"
"I have none."
"Who could ever believe it? How you blush. Well, take it, make merrywith it, gamble it away with good comrades. For I won't have it back."
"I drink no wine, I don't gamble, I have no good comrades; this moneyyou will take, for it hurts me to receive it. Those I serve pay me forwhat I do. He who does such work as mine asks for no reward but hismaster's, and can take no bribe from another. Take your gold back."
"As you will, Mr. Raby," said the Jew, and he put the ducats in hispocket.