en the
hardest."

As he uttered these words he looked at Balder, but instantly averted
his eyes and pretended to be searching for his cap.

The brothers were silent, but Mohr went up to him, laid both hands on
his shoulders, and said: "Franzel, although you don't like me, you must
allow me before these witnesses to declare my respect for you. I envy
you such a life task, although I consider it perfect folly. At least
change the title. Your readers will hardly be sufficiently well versed
in Roman history, to distinguish the difference between tribune and
tribunal. Besides, why should we lose the pleasure of your society on
that account? I will even offer to be a coworker: in case you, as I
hope, issue a feuilleton, I should not be disinclined to write a few
brilliant aphorisms--"

"Cease this jesting!" Edwin indignantly interrupted. "Franzel, what
does this mean? Because you're going to establish a newspaper, must we
clasp hands in an eternal farewell? You may do what you cannot leave
undone. Are we our brother's keeper? Or have we hitherto found fault
with all your sayings, to which we could not assent?"

"No," replied the printer, as he thrust his huge hands into his
pockets. "But that's the very reason; you must be as safe in the future
as you have been in the past, so far as it depends upon me.
Unfortunately, I'm only too well aware that we shall no longer agree as
well on many subjects, as we have done hitherto. But I'm determined to
burn my ships; there shall be no more evasions, no half-way measures.
The people at the helm cannot endure them. There will be trouble, they
will use their usual coarse means--arrests, searching of houses,
seizure of papers, watching for conspirators. I do not want to subject
you--for I go nowhere else so often--"

"They can seal up all my papers," said Mohr dryly. "The mediocrity of
talent, to which they all bear culpable witness, is at least not
dangerous to the state. On the contrary, the less genius one possesses,
the more useful he is as a tax-paying individual, a sheep in the
flock."

Franzelius seized his cap.

"You will do us no harm," said Balder. "Let us take the risk. What
could they find here? As I know Edwin--"

"I too would see them enter with the greatest composure," observed
Edwin smiling. "No, Franzel, your fears are visionary so far as we are
concerned. Can you not, in case of necessity, even swear that I have no
tendencies toward socialism, but on the contr