say, "Didn't I tell you so? I know my men," moved
to "strike out the law about smoking altogether."

"Yes, yes!" they all exclaimed as with one mouth. Buchmaier
continued:--

"So, whoever can't do without smoking, let him smoke. It'll be hard for
the teacher to read in the steam; so, if he has to stop, nobody can
blame him. But one thing we will stick to: if any man's pipe goes out,
he sha'n't light it again till the teacher's done reading. He may sleep
if he can't keep his eyes open; but he sha'n't snore."

A roar of laughter ensued, after which Buchmaier went on:--

"So we won't put a word about smoking into the law, and we'll only have
the understanding that, when the reading is all done, every man shall
light his pipe with the wisdom he's got by listening, and smoke what's
been told him. Is that right, or not?"

"Yes: that's right."

"And whoever wants to talk must take the pipe out of his mouth," said
the voice of an unknown speaker, who has been too modest to reveal
himself to this day.

Another knotty point was the place of meeting. With a fine tact,
the teacher objected to the school-room. All the members of the
town-council being present, the large anteroom of the town-hall was
fixed upon.

On Jack George's motion, it was resolved that every man should be at
liberty to have his glass of beer before him, but no more. This
proposal made Jack George so popular that he was elected to the
executive committee with Mat and Kilian.

There were many other difficulties to be overcome; but a knot of
enthusiasts had gathered around the teacher, who carried him over every
thing in triumph. The foremost of these were Mat and Thaddie. The
latter only regretted that he could not find some herculean labor to
perform for the teacher: he would gladly have run through the fire to
please him.

On the other hand, the society had two mortal foes, in the landlord of
the Eagle and the College Chap. The former feared for his custom, and
railed against the teacher, who since his betrothal boarded with his
intended father-in-law. The College Chap suspected "psalm-singing" in
all things, and said that his brother only meant to catch the people
first and pluck them afterward.

It is a customary trick of the monarchical Governments of Europe to
disarm demagogues by appointing them to office. In pursuance of the
same policy, the teacher made Constantine "alternate reader." Now that
it afforded scope for his ambition, the Colle