The Jew Abraham was the father of twelve children, all sons, and all
red-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 any
family names, as once in the Promised Land.
But when Joseph II. admitted the Jews to the rights of citizens, he
stipulated that they should render military service if called upon, and
that they should choose a surname--and that a German one.
To this end, royal commissions were despatched on all sides which should
provide the Jews with surnames. And a nice business it was! Whoever had
a well-filled purse had a free choice, if it so pleased him, but woe to
him who set about it empty handed, for the nickname wherewith his
mocking neighbours had christened him, stuck to him pitilessly.
Because Abraham had not sufficiently opened his purse-strings, he still
had to go by his nickname of "Rothesel," wherewith he was known among
his 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 nothing
more enterprising with his wife's dowry of two hundred thalers, than buy
up 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 want
with wine? He dared not retail it, for the trading rights belonged only
to the communes, to say nothing of the difficulty of transporting it
over the frontier. Whence could he carry it? for in Hungary the law
forbade any Jew to trade in such wares.
So that when his neighbours called Abraham an ass for laying out his
money in wine when he began life, they were not far out, for he hardly
earned salt to his bread by such a business.
But Abraham was in his way a student of the times. Looking ahead, he saw
under the rule of the later Hapsburgs that many ancient laws, though
still unrepealed, had nevertheless fallen into desuetude, and
consequently that the statute forbidding Jews the commerce in wine,
might follow suit. Consequently, Abraham found means of transporting his
Hungarian vintages to Vienna. And as he was the first in the field his
enterprise was crowned with success. Nor did he deceive the customer as
to the difficulties of the Hungarian wine trade.
In spite of all this, he did not part with his wealth too readily. The
commission had expected that he would come out with ducats by the
thousand, but he produced nothing more than a cellar full of wine. In
retaliation 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 the
creditor is always a good one, that of the debtor as surely a
disgraceful one.
But his own family did not share his views on the subject. If it was
indifferent to the father what men called him, his wife and children
took a different view of "Rothesel," and, owing to their urgent
representations, Abraham determined to rid himself of this incubus, yet
without paying too dearly for it.
He reckoned two hundred ducats would cover it, and with this sum off he
went to Vienna, ostensibly, on a question of his wine trade.
Arrived there, he began to think out how best he could forward the
affair without getting too much fleeced in the process.
He began at the beginning, that is to say, at the chancery court, where
all such problems have to be conciliated. And a long list it was! The
expediting of such business is a serious matter.
But to the Jew there suddenly came a brilliant idea. He bethought him of
an acquaintance at Court. The title of this acquaintance was doubtful,
for he was only a young man, and whether to address him as a chancery
clerk or as chancellor, he knew not. He was the nephew of the
postmaster of Szent-Endre, Mr. John Leanyfalvy. This worthy had adopted
the orphan son of his sister, while yet a child, and had sent him to
Vienna that he might carve out a career for himself in the imperial
city. Each time that Abraham had made his business visits there, he had
spoken to the postmaster and asked him if he had any message for "young
Matyi." And when the uncle had taken this opportunity of sending his
nephew a gift of country produce, Abraham always carried out these
commissions faithfully, and was duly welcomed by "Mr. Matyi."
The latter was quite at home at Court, and had employment in the palace
itself. What he did there, whether he had a voice in the Kaiser's
councils, or brushed his coat, Abraham did not know, perhaps the latter
was the likeliest supposition; in this case, he would be a patron to be
prized, for servants are worth propitiating.
Consequently, the crafty Jew had determined to seek out the postmaster's
nephew 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 carved
out of wood, whereof one half formed a musical box, being filled with a
mechanism which enabled him who put it to his mouth to produce quite a
respectable tune. Such a pear did Abraham buy in a shop at Nurnberg, but
he stuffed the hollow half of the pear with two hundred ducats. This
pear he had destined for the young man if he prospered his petition with
the Emperor. The said petition was drawn up neither by agent nor
attorney, but as concocted by Abraham, ran thus: "Your Imperial Majesty,
the high commissioners insisted on calling me 'Rothesel,' I only beg
permission 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 there
not a standing order that no petitioner should be denied admittance? So
he was allowed to enter the great corridor, where already many people
were assembled.
Abraham had what you might call prodigious luck at the very outset. The
first person he met in the ante-chamber was "Mr. Matyi" himself. His
appearance was that of a refined handsome youth of about
four-and-twenty, with a red and white complexion like a girl's; he wore
his hair powdered, a pea-green silk coat turned up with red, an
embroidered waistcoat, a lace-frilled vest, with knee-breeches of
cherry-coloured velvet, silk stockings, and buckled shoes. At his side
hung an Italian rapier, and from his waistcoat pocket dangled a
watch-chain laden with all kinds of trinkets. Under his arm he carried
the tri-cornered hat of the period.
Moreover, this elegant young dandy was not ashamed to recognise his old
acquaintance in the crowd; no sooner had he caught sight of his red
mantle than he went up to him, asked him how he fared, and how it was
with his uncle, and when he heard Abraham's errand, exclaimed, "Why
that's a mere trifle." Thereupon, taking his hand, he led the Jew
through three or four rooms in succession, which they traversed without
knocking, 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 Jew
to wait while he should announce him to the Emperor. Abraham's knees
nearly failed under him when he knew that only those folding doors
divided him from the Kaiser. Yet his friend could enter freely; he must
then 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, through
the 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" was
really 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 some
important correspondence to transact there.
The Jew was radiant with delight; he hardly knew where to begin: "It's
right enough; the Emperor himself has countersigned the petition with
his 'fiat.' Here is his name! He himself has put in the 'i,' praised be
the Lord!"
But suddenly he broke off in his thanksgiving as he regarded the
document. "Ay, woe's me!"
"What is the matter, friend?"
"Why, his Majesty has clean forgotten to put the dot over the 'i,' and
without this, the 'i' looks exactly like an 'e,' and it only means from
being 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 in
for me, so that it may be done with the same ink. You have the pen in
your hand ready."
"What are you thinking of?" cried "Mr. Matyi" indignantly, "to correct
the imperial hand-writing, why, it would be a rank forgery! Give me the
petition, 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 without
laying out thousands of ducats; he had managed it for two hundred. He
fumbled in the money compartment of the musical pear, and laid the
ducats on the writing-table of "Mr. Matyi," so that the latter should
not 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 I
have much to do, that I want for nothing, and send my good wishes, and a
happy 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 he
trusted 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, and
with the other thrust the pear under his nose, asking angrily: "What do
you 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 so
kind as to show me."
"I have shown you no kind of favour. You wanted justice and you have
obtained it. Take back your gold!"
"Why should I take it back? Hasn't the young gentleman deserved it for
all 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 gentleman
needn'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 has
no debts. You owe neither the tailor nor the host anything? What, don't
you want to make your sweetheart a present?"
"I have none."
"Who could ever believe it? How you blush. Well, take it, make merry
with 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 money
you will take, for it hurts me to receive it. Those I serve pay me for
what I do. He who does such work as mine asks for no reward but his
master'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 his
pocket.