"No," said Josef Balatka, turning angrily against his nephew; "not a
scrap of pity--not a morsel of love. You cannot rid yourself of her
quite--of her or me--and that is your pity."

"You are wrong there."

"Very well; then let me be wrong. I can understand what is before my
eyes. Look round the house and see what we are coming to. Nina at the
present moment has not got a florin in her purse. We are starving, or
next to it, and yet you wonder that she should be willing to marry an
honest man who has plenty of money."

"But he is a Jew!"

"Yes; he is a Jew. I know that."

"And Nina knows it."

"Of course she does. Do you go home and eat nothing for a week, and
then see whether a Jew's bread will poison you."

"But to marry him, uncle Josef!"

"It is very bad. I know it is bad, but what can I do? If she says she
will do it, how can I help it? She has been a good child to me--a very
good child; and am I to lie here and see her starve? You would not give
to your dog the morsel of bread which she ate this morning before she
went out."