coming, the merciless Nemesis was about to seize her obligated man. Unfortunately, the street which he took, ended in an impasse; hence, he had to turn backwards and face his followers.
The noise produced by this event has, in the meantime, brought the whole town into turmoil, crowd gathered everywhere; and all the streets were closed, a horde of enemies was marching toward him. He showed a pistol, and made people stop; hence, he thought he could make a way through the crowd.
- “This shot”, he said, “should be for the daredevil who will try to stop me!”
Fear commanded a general silence among the crowd. A fearless locksmith journeyman, finally, caught him by the arm from behind, seized precisely the finger which would press the pistol, and trampled him down.
The pistol fell; the unarmed man would be pulled down from the horse and brought back in triumph to the office.
- ”Who are you? “ asked him the judge with a rather brutal voice.
- “A man who is decided not to answer any question, until he is politely asked to!”
- “Who! Are! You!?”
- “I am what I pretend to be! I have travelled through the whole Germany and have found shamelessness, nowhere else than here, at home!”
- "Your sudden escape made you a very suspicious person. Why did you flee?”
- “Because I had enough of the bullying of your people!"
- "You were menacing to shoot at them!”
- “But my pistol is not armed!”
People then checked his weapon, and there actually was not any bullet inside.
- “Why do you carry a hidden weapon with you?”
- “Because I carry valuables with me, and because people have warned me against a certain Boss who is active in these territories.”
- “Your answers prove very much of your brazenness, however, of nothing good about your case! I give you until tomorrow to tell me the truth!”
- “I will stick to my declaration!”
- “Bring him to the tower!”
- "Why in the tower!? Mister High Officer, I hope, there is still Justice in this country. I demand satisfaction!?”
- “I will give it to you, as soon as you have justified yourself!”
The High Officer examined the case the next morning: the stranger wanted, hence, really pass himself for an innocent man; any commanding attitude toward him did not do anything with his obstinacy; it would, maybe, much better to treat him with decency and restraint. He gathered the town council and called for the imprisoned.
- “Forgive me my previous agitation, Sir, if I was, somehow, abrupt with you yesterday!”
- “Very well, if you so request!”
- “Our laws are pretty severe, and your act has made a lot of noise. I cannot release you without failing my duty. The appearances are against you. I wished that you could tell me something that could be refuting them.”
- “But I have nothing to confess!”
- “Hence, I must report the incident to the government, and you remain until then under custody.”
- “And then!?”
- "You are running the danger of being accused for begging beyond the border, or, if things go well, to fall under the authority of an investigator.”
He remained silent for a minute and seemed to be fighting a violent inner battle; then he turned rapidly to the judge.
- “Can I be alone with you for a moment?”
The Counsellors looked embarrassed, but yet retracted at the commanding wink of their chief.
- “Now, what do you demand?”
- “Your attitude, yesterday, Mister High Officer, has never encouraged me into confession, that’s why I have defied your authority. The modesty with which you deal with me, today, has given me confidence and respect. I believe that you are a noble man.”
- “What do you have to tell me?”
- "I see that you are a noble man. I have wished, long time ago, to become a man like you. May I have your word?”
- “Where will this lead us to?”
- “This head of yours is grey and honourable. You have been for long in the world, have gone through real sufferings. Right? You must have become more human?”
- “Sir, why all this questioning!?”
- “You are a step away from eternity, soon... soon you will need to call for God's mercy. He will not refuse it to a human being.....Don’t you guess anything yet? With whom do you think you are talking to?”
- “What is this? You are scaring me!”
- “Don’t you guess it yet? Please, write to your Prince, how I did put myself into this situation, and that I, by free choice, was my betrayer, that God may once be gracious to him as he is to me now. Old man, please put this request to your Prince on my behalf, and let a tear fall on your report: I am the Boss.”
A walk under the lime trees
Wollmar and Edwin, two friends who live together in a peaceful hermitage in which they have retreated from the tumult of the busy world, discuss during a walk about the remarkable destinies of their lives in full philosophical leisure. Edwin, the fortunate one, embraced the world with a joyful tenderness which put the gloomier Wollmar into a miserable mood because of his misfortune. An alley of lime trees were the favourite place of their debates. At one time, they walked again there on a lovely May day; I account the following discussion:
Edwin
The weather is so beautiful, the whole nature is cheering up, and you are so thoughtful, Wollmar?
Wollmar
Alone me, please! You know this is my way to corrupt your mood!
Edwin
But is it then possible to be so much disgusted by the cup of joy?
Wollmar
If one finds a spin in it; why not? You see, Nature depicts itself to you, now, as a young lady with red cheeks on her wedding day. To me, it seems like an old matron with exaggerated red make-up on her yellow-green cheeks and with inherited diamonds in her hair.
How she ridicules herself in this Sunday attire! These are just old clothes worn already a thousand times. Even this green, flowing dress train of hers, she wore already before Deucalion, just as perfumed and just as colourful!
For thousand years, she has only fed herself with the proceeds from death bulletins,
