The air of simple dignity with which Morris delivered his ultimatum was marred to some extent by a raucous laugh from Abe.

“Don’t do me no favors, Mawruss,” he jeered.  “All I got to say is that if I was you, Mawruss, I would get this here archy-teck and B. Rashkin, and also your brother-in-law, Ferdy, together, and I would make ’em an offer of settlement for, say, three thousand dollars, Mawruss.  Because the way I figure it out, this thing would stand you in as much money as that and a whole lot of worry, too.”

“You shouldn’t be so generous with your advice, Abe,” Morris retorted.

“Oh, I don’t charge you nothing for it, Mawruss,” Abe said, as he turned to the “Arrival of Buyers” column, and, for lack of appropriate rejoinder, Morris snorted indignantly and banged the show-room door behind him.

For the remainder of the afternoon Abe’s face wore a malicious grin.  It was there when Morris left to keep his appointment at Henry D. Feldman’s office, and when he returned four hours later the malice, if anything, had intensified.

“Well, Mawruss,” Abe cried, “I suppose you fixed it all up?”

“It don’t go so quick, Abe,” Morris replied.  His manner was as cheerful as only that of a man who has struggled hard to repress a fit of violent profanity can be—­for the meeting at Henry D. Feldman’s office had been fraught with many nerve-racking incidents. Imprimis, there had been Feldman’s retainer, a generous one, and then had come the discussion of the building-loan agreement with Milton M. Sugarman, attorney for the I. O. M. A.

Feldman assured Morris that it was customary for the borrower to pay the fees of the attorney for the lender, incidental to drawing and recording the necessary papers, and Morris had also learned that the high premiums of insurance for the building to be erected would come out of his pocket.  Moreover, he had seen B. Rashkin credited with commissions for bringing about Morris’ purchase of the lot, and for the first time he had ascertained that he also owed B. Rashkin two hundred and fifty dollars commission for procuring a building loan from the I. O. M. A.

So far he reckoned that his investment exceeded B. Rashkin’s by a thousand dollars, and when he considered that B. Rashkin would be his own superintendent of construction, while he, Morris, would be obliged to hire Ferdy Rothschild, at a compensation of seven hundred and fifty dollars, to perform that same office for him, Abe’s advice appeared too sound to be pleasant.

“No, Abe,” he said, “it don’t go so quick.  I got another appointment for next week.”

Abe grunted.

“All I got to say, Mawruss,” he commented, “you shouldn’t forget you are a partner in a cloak and suit business.”

“Don’t worry,” Morris replied; “you wouldn’t let me forget that, Abe.”  He strode off toward the cutting-room and once more Abe resumed his fixed grin.