It was plain that this man was no Jew.

He was little and fat.

He had a red turned-up nose, bushy gray hair, and he wore an old pair of spectacles, which had great difficulty in keeping on the nose aforesaid.

Veitel remarked that he had on an unusually bad coat, and took snuff.

It was plain that this man was a writer of some kind; so, as soon as he had seen him hand over a paper to the tradesman, and receive a small piece of money, Veitel approached, and began: "I wished, sir, to ask you if you happened to know any one who could give lessons in writing and book-keeping to a man of my acquaintance ?" "And this man of your acquaintance is yourself ?" said the little man.
"Why should I make a secret of it ?" said Veitel.