proved to be a mass of golden ingots,
close packed, and, as the Jew declared, of
the most perfect quality.

Every ingot underwent the scrutiny of
the little Jew, who seemed to feel an
epicurean delight in touching and testing
these morsels of the glorious metal; and
each one of them was replaced in the box
with the exclamation:

'Mein Gott, how very perfect! not one
grain of alloy--beautiful, beautiful!'

The task was at length finished, and the
Jew certified under his hand the value of
the ingots submitted to his examination to
amount to many thousand rix-dollars.

With the desired document in his bosom,
and the rich box of gold carefully pressed
under his arm, and concealed by his cloak,
he retraced his way, and entering the
studio, found his master and the stranger
in close conference.

Schalken had no sooner left the room,
in order to execute the commission he had
taken in charge, than Vanderhausen
addressed Gerard Douw in the following