Tales and Novels — Volume 01: Moral TalesEdgeworth, Maria
General
Tales and Novels — Volume 01: Moral Tales
Edgeworth, Maria
Fiction
_Witness_.--"Yes; I once heard the Jew say that he hoped she never would
leave Berlin, because she was of great use to him. He advised me to
settle in Berlin. This passed about six weeks ago. About a week before
the prize was decided by the king, I met the Jew, and told him Sophia
had good hopes of getting back to Saxony. He looked very much vexed, and
said, 'She is not sure of that.'"
_Albert_.--"Did you ever hear this Jew speak of Count Laniska?"
_Witness_.--"Yes, about two months ago I saw him in the street when I
was speaking to Solomon, and I asked the Jew who he was. He answered,
'He is the Count Laniska--a man that I hate, and on whom I will be
revenged some time or other.' I asked why he hated the count. The Jew
replied, 'Because the Christian dog has made the corps of Jews his
laughing-stock. This day, when my son was going through his manual
exercise before the king, Count Laniska was holding his sides with
laughter. I'll be revenged upon him some time or other.'"
_Albert_.--"I have no occasion, sir, to trouble you with any farther
questions."
The next witness who appeared was a druggist of Berlin. He deposed,
that, on the 30th of April, Solomon the Jew came to his shop and asked
for blue paints; that, after trying the colours very carefully upon the
back of a letter, which he took out of his pocket, he bought a small
quantity of a shade of blue, which the witness produced in court.
Albert ordered that the paint should be handed to the gentlemen of the
jury, that they might compare it with the blue ground of the Prussian
Vase. With this it was found, upon comparison, to match exactly.
_Albert to the druggist_.--"Do you know what became of the paper upon
which you say the Jew tried your colours?"
_Witness_.--"Yes; here it is. I found it under the counter, after the
Jew went away, and I kept it to return to him, as I saw there was an
account on the other side of the paper, which I imagined he might want.
He never happened to call at my shop afterwards, and I forgot that I had
such a paper, till you, sir, called upon me about a week ago, to make
inquiry on this subject. You desired me to keep the paper carefully, and
not to let any one know that it was in my possession, till the day on
which the trial of Count Laniska was to come on. I have complied with
your request, and here is the paper."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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