Ivanhoe

The Jew groaned deeply.--"Grant me," he said, "at least with my own

liberty, that of the companions with whom I travel. They scorned me as

a Jew, yet they pitied my desolation, and because they tarried to aid me

by the way, a share of my evil hath come upon them; moreover, they may

contribute in some sort to my ransom."

"If thou meanest yonder Saxon churls," said Front-de-Boeuf, "their

ransom will depend upon other terms than thine. Mind thine own concerns,

Jew, I warn thee, and meddle not with those of others."

"I am, then," said Isaac, "only to be set at liberty, together with mine

wounded friend?"

"Shall I twice recommend it," said Front-de-Boeuf, "to a son of Israel,

to meddle with his own concerns, and leave those of others alone?--Since

thou hast made thy choice, it remains but that thou payest down thy

ransom, and that at a short day."

"Yet hear me," said the Jew--"for the sake of that very wealth which

thou wouldst obtain at the expense of thy---" Here he stopt short,

afraid of irritating the savage Norman. But Front-de-Boeuf only laughed,

and himself filled up the blank at which the Jew had hesitated.

"At the expense of my conscience, thou wouldst say, Isaac; speak it

out--I tell thee, I am reasonable. I can bear the reproaches of a loser,

even when that loser is a Jew. Thou wert not so patient, Isaac, when

thou didst invoke justice against Jacques Fitzdotterel, for calling thee

a usurious blood-sucker, when thy exactions had devoured his patrimony."

"I swear by the Talmud," said the Jew, "that your valour has been

misled in that matter. Fitzdotterel drew his poniard upon me in mine own

chamber, because I craved him for mine own silver. The term of payment

was due at the Passover."

"I care not what he did," said Front-de-Boeuf; "the question is, when

shall I have mine own?--when shall I have the shekels, Isaac?"

"Let my daughter Rebecca go forth to York," answered Isaac, "with your

safe conduct, noble knight, and so soon as man and horse can return, the

treasure---" Here he groaned deeply, but added, after the pause of a few

seconds,--"The treasure shall be told down on this very floor."

"Thy daughter!" said Front-de-Boeuf, as if surprised,--"By heavens,

Isaac, I would I had known of this. I deemed that yonder black-browed

girl had been thy concubine, and I gave her to be a handmaiden to Sir

Brian de Bois-Guilbert, after the fashion of patriarchs and heroes of

the days of old, who set us in these matters a wholesome example."