After the two had drunk together Maria produced the gold "tape."
Zerkow's eyes glittered on the instant. The sight of gold invariably
sent a qualm all through him; try as he would, he could not repress it.
His fingers trembled and clawed at his mouth; his breath grew short.
"Ah, ah, ah!" he exclaimed, "give it here, give it here; give it to me,
Maria. That's a good girl, come give it to me."
They haggled as usual over the price, but to-night Maria was too excited
over other matters to spend much time in bickering over a few cents.
"Look here, Zerkow," she said as soon as the transfer was made, "I got
something to tell you. A little while ago I sold a lottery ticket to a
girl at the flat; the drawing was in this evening's papers. How much do
you suppose that girl has won?"
"I don't know. How much? How much?"
"Five thousand dollars."
It was as though a knife had been run through the Jew; a spasm of an
almost physical pain twisted his face--his entire body. He raised his
clenched fists into the air, his eyes shut, his teeth gnawing his lip.
"Five thousand dollars," he whispered; "five thousand dollars. For what?
For nothing, for simply buying a ticket; and I have worked so hard for
it, so hard, so hard.
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