offins: "perhaps that is a cellar?"

"Of course: I never had a better cellar than that."

"And the dead, and the coffins?"

"Twenty-five round coffins, full of wine. Come, my dear sir, taste them
all. I assure you you won't regret it."

The magistrate was now really in a fury: fury made a lion of him, so
that he was quite capable of tearing his wrists by sheer force out of
the imprisoning hands.

"An end to all familiarity! You stand before the authority of the law,
with whom you cannot trifle. Give me the keys of the cloister, that I
may clean the profaned place."

"Please break open the door."

"Would you not be sorry to ruin a patent lock?" suggested the lawyer.

"Well, promise me that you will taste at least 'one' brand: then I will
open the door, for I don't intend to open any door under the title of
'cloister,' but any number under the title of 'cellar;' and in that case
I shall pay in ready money."

The worthy lawyer tugged at the magistrate's sleeve; prudence yielded,
and there are bounds to severity, too.

"Very well, the lawyer will taste the wine, but I am no drinker."

Topandy whispered some words in his butler's ears, whereupon that worthy
suddenly disappeared.

"So you see, my dear fellow, we are agreed at last: now I should like to
see the account of how much I owe to the county for my slight upon the
Brotherhood."

"Here is the calculation: two hundred florins with costs, which amount
to three florins, thirty kreuzer."

(This happened thirty years ago.)

"Further?"

"Further, the repair of the damage caused by you, the expenses of the
present expedition, the daily pay and sustenance of the stone-masons
aforesaid: making in all a sum total of two hundred and forty-three
florins, forty kreuzers."

"A large sum, but I shall produce it from somewhere."

With the words Topandy drew out from his chest a drawer, and carrying it
bodily as it was, put it down on the great walnut table, before the
authorities of the law.

"Here it is!"

The interesting members of the law first drew back in alarm, and then
commenced to roar with laughter. That drawer was filled with--I cannot
express it in one word--but generally speaking--with paper.

A great variety of aged bank notes, some before the depreciation of
value, others of a late date, still in currency: long bank-notes, black
bank-notes, red spotted bank-notes; then, old cards: Hungarian, Swiss,
French; old theatre-tickets, market pictures,