es with the pastors, to induce them to
influence votes for a champion who had made himself notorious, by the
strong language he had used.

Joseph finds out everything, and thus he soon learned that the lower
clergy leaned towards the patriotic side, but that they would not risk
open opposition. And, apropos of that, an amusing story was in
circulation.

The prebendary asked the sleek and wily pastor of Rottenhoch, "And how
do matters stand in your village? What are you able and willing to do?"

"Whatever the Right Reverend Bishop commands, shall be done."

The Right Reverend turned and twisted as best he might: but the priest
could not be made to understand that his superiors desired to avoid
giving explicit orders; and the others, who saw that the attempts to
secure his compliance always elicited the same reply, bit their tongues
to keep from laughing outright.

It was the first Sunday after Easter, on a bright spring day, when my
friends came to take me to the meeting of the voters.

Rothfuss went with Carl, the young meadow-farmer, and said, "Yes, Carl,
you are lucky; you begin in your young days. This is the first chance I
have ever had to tell our man what he should say to the Emperor for me.
But it is a good thing after all; and mind what I tell you--before the
election we will only take one drink; not a drop more."

At the same time, he swore at the workmen at the mill, who had allowed
themselves to be influenced by Funk. He declared that they were even
capable of voting against me. Carl said that, as far as his two
brothers were concerned, it was true. They had been expelled from
Alsace, had received employment in Ludwig's mill, and now publicly said
that they would give their votes to Funk.

At the meeting, it happened just as Joseph had predicted.
Schweitzer-Schmalz stepped forward and declared that a man like himself
could not leave his large estate and go to Berlin; they should,
therefore, give the votes intended for him, to that intrepid man of the
people--Funk.

But now something happened that took us all by surprise. Funk mounted
the rostrum. He laid it down that a constitution without fundamental
rights was a farce, and it cut me to the quick when he dared to add,
"We uphold the old German flag--the sacred flag of freedom--immaculate,
and shall not desert our colors."

In conclusion, he said. "I implore you not to call on me now. The time
will come when they must call us to save our liberties