his would perhaps have
been permitted, had not my companion, on understanding what was the
matter, burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter, and repeated the
offensive word, accompanying it with a declaration in French, which
many of the bystanders understood, that he considered it generally
applicable. The landlord of the inn now came forth, and after a not
very energetic attempt to conciliate the ostler, who refused to forego
his determination to obtain legal redress, invited us to alight and
resume our quarters in the inn. This we were compelled to do, to
escape the annoyance of the crowd; and the carriage being housed under
a shed, the horses returned to the stable. We had not been three
minutes in the inn before the police appeared to take me into custody,
and march me off to durance vile. By this time I began to see that the
charge, and the dilemma into which it had led us, was no joke. I might
perhaps have bribed the scoundrel who preferred it, and have sent away
the police with a gratuity; but I felt as little disposed to do that
as to go to prison. I refused to leave the inn, protested against the
jurisdiction of their absurd laws over strangers, and at length, with
the assistance of my companion, and a good deal of threatening talk,
succeeded in ejecting the two police functionaries from the room. They
kept watch, however, at the door, and planted sentinels at the
windows, to prevent an ignominious flight that way.

In the meanwhile, the whole town was in commotion, and everybody was
hurrying towards the _rathhaus_, or town-hall, where it was plain
enough that preparations were making for putting me immediately upon
my trial. I saw the old _burgermeister_ go waddling by in his robe of
office, accompanied by a crowd of nondescript officials, with one of
whom my villainous-looking adversary was in close confabulation. In a
short space of time, a band of very scurvy-looking police, plainly
vamped up for the occasion, made its appearance; and one of the band
entering the room without ceremony, presented me with a summons,
couched in legal diction, citing me to appear instantly before the
commission then sitting, to answer an indictment preferred against me
by Karl Gurtler, Supernumerary Deputy Road Inspector of the district,
whose honourable character I had unjustly and wantonly assailed and
deteriorated by the application of the scandalous and defamatory term,
schurke. There was nothing for it but to obey the