[dmcg]

My interpretation:

He said "I'm not going to take a penny more [than 10%] from you."

They heard "I'm not going to take a penny more [than all the money I have already taken] from you."

They were too polite to press the case once the misunderstanding became apparent.

[dmcg]

And thanks for the downvote, keep making sure no good deed goes unpunished.

[janfoeh]

Just for the record - that wasn't me.