Arthur took a sip of coffee: "Heinrich, you make it sound easy. If it were so simple, why don't you take on Liszt?"
Heine, unfazed, replied: "Arthur, you should know, I am a poet. I am not concerned with such vulgar matters; I have more refined interests. As a friend, I am willing to let you have all these worldly successes."
Arthur savored the slightly astringent and bitter coffee: "Heinrich, being friends with you is truly a blessing for me."
"No problem." Heine pulled out a bill from his pocket and said: "If you don't mind, you could sign this."
Arthur glanced at the eye-catching number on the bill and gently pushed it back: "Heinrich, I would be more than happy to clear your bill, but this depends on you quickly sending your article 'On Romanticism' to London."
