“How know you I come from the city?” questioned Abraham.
“Know? I have been there and back these twenty years and know the dust at every crossing and I see Rhine mud on thy hose.”
“Good, but the peddlers have the news. Frankfort has none.”
“Sharp for a duilard, but there was talk of some disturbance. I had it through the Shammos (beadle), who had it from Isaac of Spiers.”
“Of no account. Nothing has happened.”
A voice was raised at the other end of the room. “Lechaim (long life) to the new herb,” and a dealer lifted his deep wine cup.
“What have you, tobaccos?” And Abraham’s questioner left him excitedly.
“Yes;” said the toaster, and undoing a satchel displayed a packet of dried tobacco leaves.
“How got you it?”
“From Holland, which heard of it from England through Lopes, who being court physician, knew of it.”
“Aye; Eleazer has invested in many new herbs; to burn and to drink.”
“Eleazer has a fortune on his mules, blessed be the Name, and he is good,” said a peddler enthusiastically.
“Eleazer comes from Rome, does he not?” Abraham approached and questioned the blesser of tobacco.
“Yes;” rejoined his companion, “and will no doubt tell us how it fares with the quest of the jewel.”
“Jewel?” queried Abraham, “What jewel?”
“You come from Frankfort, young man, and know not that Rabbi Menassah seeks a jewel—”
“And that it is believed that Samuel of the Iron Crown has sent it by his son to Rome.”
Abraham looked amazed.
The peddler looked at him. “It’s a pity that seeing you did not know, you should now know. Yet so it is.”
Abraham drew away cursing the fate that every peddler should recognize him as a Frankfort Jew. He was by no means clear as to the exact purpose of his visit and sat brooding, angry at having come, angry at being recognized, doubtful, hesitating, gathering his thoughts. A discussion was proceeding quietly at the other side of the room. One of the peddlers rose to clinch an argument. “It is well said of those who are rich that they need not do unrighteously. But for a peddler say I, one who has to live by the shrewdness of his wits, the cunning of his tongue and the risk of having his pack borrowed, and himself arrested for complaining, I say when I think of the cheap bargain, the very cheap bargain—‘Lead me, O Lord, in righteousness because of mine enemies; make the way straight before me; and I will walk in my integrity.’”
Abraham mechanically put his fingers to his ears and rose to leave.
“And who are our enemies?” queried a pedantic peddler.