The one half-crown-Merit in patience-Cementer of friendship-Dreadful perplexity-The usual guttural-Armenian letters-Much indebted to you-Pure helplessness-Dumb people.
ONE morning on getting up I discovered that my whole worldly wealth was reduced to one half-crown-throughout that day I walked about in considerable distress of mind;it was now requisite that I should come to a speedy decision with respect to what I was to do;I had not many alternatives,and,before I had retired to rest on the night of the day in question,I had determined that I could do no better than accept the first proposal of the Armenian,and translate under his superintendence the Haik Esop into English.
I reflected,for I made a virtue of necessity,that,after all,such an employment would be an honest and honourable one;honest,inasmuch as by engaging in it I should do harm to nobody;honourable,inasmuch as it was a literary task,which not every one was capable of executing.it was not every one of the booksellers'
writers of London who was competent to translate the Haik Esop.I determined to accept the offer of the Armenian.
Once or twice the thought of what I might have to undergo in the translation from certain peculiarities of the Armenian's temper almost unsettled me;but a mechanical diving of my hand into my pocket,and the feeling of the solitary half-crown,confirmed me;after all,this was a life of trial and tribulation,and I had read somewhere or other that there was much merit in patience,so I determined to hold fast in my resolution of accepting the offer of the Armenian.
But all of a sudden I remembered that the Armenian appeared to have altered his intentions towards me:he appeared no longer desirous that I should render the Haik Esop into English for the benefit of the stock-jobbers on Exchange,but rather that I should acquire the rudiments of doing business in the Armenian fashion,and accumulate a fortune,which would enable me to make a figure upon 'Change with the best of the stock-jobbers.'Well,'thought I,withdrawing my hand from my pocket,whither it had again mechanically dived,'after all,what would the world,what would this city,be without commerce?I believe the world,and particularly this city,would cut a very poor figure without commerce;and then there is something poetical in the idea of doing business after the Armenian fashion,dealing with dark-faced Lascars and Rabbins of the Sephardim.Yes,should the Armenian insist upon it,I will accept a seat at the desk,opposite the Moldavian clerk.I do not like the idea of cuffs similar to those the Armenian bestowed upon the Moldavian clerk;whatever merit there may be in patience,I do not think that my estimation of the merit of patience would be sufficient to induce me to remain quietly sitting under the infliction of cuffs.I think I should,in the event of his cuffing me,knock the Armenian down.Well,I think I have heard it said somewhere,that a knock-down blow is a great cementer of friendship;I think I have heard of two people being better friends than ever after the one had received from the other a knock-down blow.'
That night I dreamed I had acquired a colossal fortune,some four hundred thousand pounds,by the Armenian way of doing business,but suddenly awoke in dreadful perplexity as to how I should dispose of it.
About nine o'clock next morning I set off to the house of the Armenian;I had never called upon him so early before,and certainly never with a heart beating with so much eagerness;but the situation of my affairs had become very critical,and I thought that I ought to lose no time in informing the Armenian that I was at length perfectly willing either to translate the Haik Esop under his superintendence,or to accept a seat at the desk opposite to the Moldavian clerk,and acquire the secrets of Armenian commerce.
With a quick step I entered the counting-room,where,notwithstanding the earliness of the hour,I found the clerk,busied as usual at his desk.