s
misfortunes and those of the firm, welcoming, and, in the same breath,
regretting the arrival of the principal, and every now and then assuring
the young officer, with choking voice, that he too was a patriot, and
that it was only owing to an unaccountable mistake on the part of one of
the maids that the cockade had been taken off his hat. It was plain that
the man and his whole family had quite lost their wits.

The merchant had much trouble before he could get him into a corner and
hear some business details. It appeared that the wagons had arrived in
town on the very day that the insurrection broke out. Through the
foresight of one of the wagoners, they had been taken into the great
court-yard of a remote inn, but as to what had become of them since then
the agent knew nothing.

After some further conversation the merchant said, "We shall not claim
your hospitality to-night; we shall sleep wherever our wagons are." All
the persuasions of the agent were peremptorily rejected.

This worthy but weak man seemed really distressed at the new danger into
which his friend was determined to run.

"I shall call you up early," said the merchant, as he left; "I propose
setting out to-morrow with my wagons, but first I wish to make a few, as
you know, necessary visits to our customers, and to have your company
during them." The agent promised to do his best by daylight.

Again our travelers went forth into the night, accompanied by the Pole,
who had scornfully listened to the half-whispered conversation. As they
went along the street, the principal, angrily throwing away his cigar,
said to Anton,

"Our friend will be of little use to us; he is helpless as a child. In
the beginning of the disturbance, he neglected to do his duty--to
collect money, and seek for reimbursement."

"And now," said Anton, sorrowfully, "no one will be inclined to pay or
reimburse us."

"And yet we must bring this about to-morrow, and you shall help me to do
so. By heaven, these warlike convulsions are in themselves inconvenient
enough to trade without this addition, paralyzing as they do all useful
activity, which is the only thing that prevents us from becoming mere
animals. But if a man of business allows himself to be more crushed than
is absolutely unavoidable, he does an injury to civilization--an injury
for which there is no compensation."

They had now reached a part of the town where empty streets, and the
silence of the grave immedi