"'I know nothing other than that you caused me to sell my little printing shop, and I am in terrible condition financially even now as a result of it. If you want me to do the work you speak about in company with brother Comito here, you must give me twenty dollars a week and board. I have a family in Italy to look after, don't forget. As long as you pay me what I want I am ready to work for you; but I must be paid in advance. The first week that you fail to pay me in advance I will cease to work and come home. And what is more, my dear Cecala, I want good eating and must have wine every day; as you know there is not a day that goes by without my drinking wine that I do not get a headache. The wine gives me strength and health.' "Cecala's answer to this was characteristic: "'Don Peppe, I will do all that is possible to get you twenty dollars a week, but I must first talk with the others, my friends, as you know that I am not alone in this undertaking. As to the eating, you will have all that you want and there will be wine. I will have a barrel of it shipped to Highland, direct to Cina, who will see that you get some when you want it.' "'Who is this Cina?' asked Calichio, suspiciously. "'He is my godfather, whom you will know when you are in Highland,' said Cecala. "'Perhaps he is that farmer whom I saw in Don Piddu's (Morello's) house last year?' "'Precisely,' said Cecala. "He continued: 'I will bring the first twenty dollars to-morrow. To-morrow night you will leave with Comito?' "'All right. But first, I must see the plates and examine them to see whether they are good. If I am to do this work, it must be done perfectly. You know that I do not do things by halves. I must see whether the plates need retouching. I will bring my tools. If I am unable to use them for this work then we will buy some before leaving the city.' "'Have no doubt,' continued Cecala. 'I will come to-morrow morning and show the plates to you, and you can take them with you.' "'Come to-morrow about 10 A. M. with Comito, and not before ten, because I expect a person on some _personal_ business and do not want him to see you,' counselled Calichio. "During all this talk I did not say a word. On my way with Cecala to my aunt's house in Bleecker Street Cecala remarked: "'Don Antonio, that man Calichio is the professor for the job. In Italy he has printed for aristocratic families, who were in hard luck. He printed for these aristocrats about three million dollars in fifty, one-hundred, five-hundred and one-thousand lire notes. _This money was worked off in this country on people who were going to Italy on trips._ Don Peppe is capable of transferring to lithographic stones the engraving on bank notes and then transfer the engraving from the lithographic stones on to zinc plates, and in this way perfect the plates that are necessary for our business.' "'Is that how our plates were made?' I inquired.