window. To
please them as well as himself, he struck up another waltz, full of
life and frolic. The shouts and laughter of the listeners rewarded him.

Tired at last of solitude, he left the house, and, meeting Mat,
inquired where Buchmaier might be looked for.

"Come along," was the answer: "he's at the Eagle every Friday night."

The teacher complied, though he thought it very wrong for the squire to
be sitting in the tavern like anybody else. He found a large concourse,
engaged in animated conversation. The Jews, who are generally out of
the village at other times, were now mingling with their Christian
fellow-citizens and drinking: they testified their reverence for the
Sabbath only by abstaining from the use of tobacco.

After a brief halt consequent upon the new schoolmaster's entrance,
Buchmaier, who had made room for him at the table, continued his
remarks:--

"As I was saying, Thiers wanted to do France brown with a slice of
German lard; but he's found the mess too salt for his fancy, and
another time he won't be so greedy. What do you think of it, Mr.
Teacher?"

"You're very right; but we ought to have Alsace back again besides."

"So we ought, only the Alsatians won't come back. The last time I was
in Strasbourg I was right-down ashamed of myself the way they treated
me,--wanting to know whether we wouldn't soon have some more
counterfeit money that didn't belong anywhere. A real fine man I met
with said that the office-holders over there would like to be German
very much, because here they are paid best and cared for to the third
and fourth generation, and sure of their places, but in France they
can't come it quite so strong. And, if it was to be German again, who
should have it? A son of the counterfeit sixer? I believe there's one
in circulation yet? Or a sweated Hanoverian ten-guilder piece? I guess
they wouldn't give it to any one alone: they'd cut it into snips, just
as they chipped up the left bank of the Rhine, so that everybody might
see it was German and no mistake."

"While the teacher sat dumb with, astonishment at this audacious
utterance, a stout man, whose dress and accent bespoke the Israelite,
began:--

"Yes; and the Jews in Alsatia--there's lots of 'em, too--would rather
be butchered than made Germans of. Over there they're every whit as
good as the Christian citizens, and here they pay the same taxes and
serve in the army just like the Christiana, and only have half their
right