"Ain't it funny, Mawruss," Abe said, the morning of Louis' expected return--"ain't it funny he ain't mentioned that house to us since we spoke to him the last time he was home?" "I know it," Morris replied, "but you needn't worry, Abe. It says in the contract that Louis can't take a job as salesman with any other house till one year is up, and the boy can't afford to stay loafing around for a whole year." Abe nodded, and as he turned to look up the contract in the safe the store door opened and Louis himself entered. "Hallo, Louis," Abe cried. "Glad to see you, Louis. Another good trip?" Louis nodded, and they all passed into the show-room. "Well, you're going to make many more of them for us before you're through, Louis," Abe said. Louis grunted, and Abe and Morris exchanged disquieting glances. "You know, Louis," Morris said in the dulcet accents of the sucking dove, "your contract is up next week, and Abe and me was talking about it the other day, Louis, and about the house, too, and we says we should do something about that house, Louis, and so we'll make another contract for about, say, three years, and we'll fix it up about the house when we all sign the contract, Louis. We meant to take back the house all the time, Louis. We was only kidding you along, Louis," he continued. "So you was only kidding me along when you told me to see them real-estaters, hey?" Louis demanded. "Sure," Abe and Morris replied. "Then you was the ones what got kidded," Louis said, "for the last time I was in town I took your advice. Do you know a feller called Michaelson? And two other fellers by the name of Henochstein and Magnus?" Abe nodded. "Well, them three fellers took that house off of my hands and paid me six hundred dollars to boot, over and above the seven hundred and fifty I sunk in it." Abe and Morris puffed vigorously at their cigars. "And what's more," Louis went on, "they introduced me to Harris Rabin, of the Equinox Clothing Company. I guess you know him, too, don't you?" Morris admitted sullenly that he did. "He's got a daughter, Miss Miriam Rabin," Louis concluded. "Her and me is going to announce our engagement in next Sunday's Herald." He paused and watched Morris and Abe, to see the news sink in. "And as soon as we're married," he said, "back to the road for mine, but not with Potash & Perlmutter." "I guess you're mistaken, Louis," Abe cried. "I guess you got a contract with us what will stop you going on the road for another year yet." "Back up, Abe," Louis said. "That there contract says I can't work as a _salesman_ for any other house for a year. But Rabin and me is going as partners together in the cloak and suit business, and if there's anything in that contract about me not selling cloaks as my own boss I'll eat it." Abe went to the safe for the contract. At last he found it, and after reading it over he handed it to Morris. "_You_ eat it, Mawruss," he said. "Louis is right." CHAPTER VI