The excerpt represents the core issue or deciding factor on which you must meditate, and is drawn from Gobseck by Honore de Balzac: weights on his desk--Gobseck's correspondence with the various dealers
to whom doubtless he usually sold his presents. These persons had,
perhaps, fallen victims to Gobseck's cleverness, or Gobseck may have
wanted fancy prices for his goods; at any rate, every bargain hung in
suspense. He had not disposed of the eatables to Chevet, because
Chevet would only take them of him at a loss of thirty per cent.
Gobseck haggled for a few francs between the prices, and while they
wrangled the goods became unsalable. Again, Gobseck had refused free
delivery of his silver-plate, and declined to guarantee the weights of
his coffees. There had been a dispute over each article, the first
indication in Gobseck of the childishness and incomprehensible
Gobseck |