"Do you want to ruin me?"
"No, I think you want to ruin me. I am willing to pay a fair
price."
"You may have it for three dollars and a half."
"No doubt you'd be glad to get that. Come, Phil, we'll go."
"Stay; you may have it for three dollars, though I shall lose by
it."
"So should I, if I paid you that price. I can wait till some
other time."
But Eliakim did not intend to let this chance slip. He had found
the fiddle rather unsalable, and feared if he lost his chance of
disposing of it, it might remain on his hands for a year more.
He was willing, therefore, to take less than the profit he
usually calculated upon in the sale of articles which remained
unredeemed.
"You may have it for two dollars and a half," he said.
As far as Paul could judge, though he did not know much about the
price of violins, this was a reasonable price. But he knew that
Eliakim must have got it for considerably less, or he would not
so soon have come down to this sum. He did not hesitate,
therefore, to try to get it a little cheaper.
"I'll give you two dollars and a quarter," he said, "and not a
penny more."
Eliakim tried hard to get ten cents more, but Paul saw that he
was sure of his purchase, and remained obdurate.
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