all this to mind, and marvel over the evident
malice of the servant, the little girls have begun to tease the old man
over in the bed; they are jumping around him, fully bent on this
diversion. They both found a straw, which they poked into his ears. I
looked on at this for a while, and refrained from interfering. The old
fellow did not move a finger to defend himself; he only looked at his
tormentors with furious eyes each time they prodded him, and jerked his
head to escape when the straws were already in his ears. I got more and
more irritated at this sight, and could not keep my eyes away from it.
The father looked up from his cards, and laughed at the youngsters; he
also drew the attention of his comrades at play to what was going on.
Why didn't the old fellow move? Why didn't he fling the children aside
with his arms? I took a stride, and approached the bed.

"Let them alone! let them alone! he is paralysed," called the landlord.

And out of fear to be shown the door for the night, simply out of fear
of rousing the man's displeasure by interfering with this scene, I
stepped back silently to my old place and kept myself quiet. Why should
I risk my lodging and my portion of bread and butter by poking my nose
into the family squabbles? No idiotic pranks for the sake of a
half-dying old man, and I stood and felt as delightfully hard as a
flint.

The little urchins did not cease their plaguing; it amused them that
the old chap could not hold his head quiet, and they aimed at his eyes
and nostrils. He stared at them with a ludicrous expression; he said
nothing, and could not stir his arms. Suddenly he raised the upper part
of his body a little and spat in the face of one of the little girls,
drew himself up again and spat at the other, but did not reach her. I
stood and looked on, saw that the landlord flung the cards on the table
at which he sat, and sprang over towards the bed. His face was flushed,
and he shouted:

"Will you sit and spit right into people's eyes, you old boar?"

"But, good Lord, he got no peace from them!" I cried, beside myself.

But all the time I stood in fear of being turned out, and I certainly
did not utter my protest with any particular force; I only trembled
over my whole body with irritation. He turned towards me, and said:

"Eh, listen to him, then. What the devil is it to you? You just keep
your tongue in your jaw, you--just mark what I tell you, 'twill serve
you best."

But now