The Monkey's Paw

From the text, we can infer that Morris is using a bit of reverse psycholgy to spark the White's interest in the paw. We know nothing about the paw, except what we're told. We also know that he'd already mentioned the paw to Mr. White, and that for some reason he actually has it with him. A magical paw would be quite the conversation starter, but it seems as if there is something more going on. Possibly, Morris intends to sell the Whites his magical paw.... as the more he objects to their interest, the more interested they become.