ook of much meaning on Eva; but she,
poor thing, saw nothing now, for the tears were in her eyes. Holding
her apron to her face, she went back quickly to the house.

The farmers went to their work, and Mat followed the officers to the
squire's, the children bringing up the rear. When nearly out of
hearing, some of the boldest cried, "Soges! Soges!" This was the
beadle's nickname, and always made him furious. He had administered his
office while the Black Forest yet formed a part of the possessions of
the house of Austria. His devotion to his august master was such that
he thought it necessary even to affect the dialect of Vienna; and,
instead of pronouncing the German for "I say it," "I sag's" or "I han's
g'sa't,"--as a plain Black Forester would have done,--he said, "I
sog'es." Soges thereby became his title.

The mysterious brown door of the squire's house removed Mat, Soges, and
the ranger from the sight of the multitude. The squire welcomed the
prisoner with a round rating for the crime of which he stood accused.
Mat remained calm, only beating with one foot the time of a tune he
sang in imagination. At last he said, "'You 'most done, squire? All
that's nothing to me, for I haven't set any May-pole: go on talking,
though, for I've plenty of time to listen."

The squire waxed very wroth, and would have assaulted Mat bodily had
not Soges whispered some more sagacious counsels in his ear. He sank
his clenched fist, and ordered Soges to take the criminal to the
lock-up for twenty-four hours for a flagrant denial.

"I belong to the village; I am to be found at any time, and I'm not
likely to run away about such a trumpery as this: you can't lock me
up," said Mat, rightly.

"Can't?" cried the squire, reddening with anger: "we'll see if we
can't, you----"

"Save your blackguarding," said Mat: "I'm going; but it's an outrage to
treat the son of a citizen this way. If my cousin Buchmaier was at home
it couldn't be done."

On the way to the lock-up they met Eva; but Mat did not even make an
attempt to speak to her. Eva could not understand how this happened.
She followed Mat with her eyes until he was no longer in sight, and
then, bent with shame and trouble, she entered the squire's dwelling.
His wife was Eva's godmother, and Eva would not go until Mat had
been released. But her intercession was of no use this time: the
president-judge of the district was shortly expected on his tour of
visitation, and the squire wi