until he finally
by a side spring tore their whole web to pieces and laughingly derided
his judges for not being able to convict him!

He was accused of having, by his cabals alone, after the death of
Catharine, effected the elevation to the throne of Anna, Duchess of
Courland. And yet they very well knew that precisely at that time
Ostermann had for weeks pretended to be suffering from illness, for
the very purpose of avoiding any intermingling with state affairs. They
accused him of having suppressed the testament of Catharine, and yet
that testament had been published in all the official journals of the
time!

Ostermann laughed loud at all of these childish accusations.

"Ah," said he, "should I be sitting in your places, and you all, though
innocent, should be standing accused before me, my word for it, I would
so involve you in questions and answers that you would be compelled
to confess your guilt! But you do not understand questioning, and old
Ostermann is a sly fox that does not allow himself to be easily caught!
The best way will be for you to declare me guilty, though I am no
criminal; for as your empress has commanded that I should be found
guilty, it would certainly be in me a crime worthy of death not to be
guilty."

"You dare to deride our empress!" cried one of the judges.

"Aha!" said Ostermann, laughing, "I have there thrown you a bait, and
you, good judicial fishes, bite directly! That is very well, you are now
in a good way! Only go on, and I will help you to find me guilty, if
it be only of simple high-treason. It will then be left to the mercy of
your empress to declare me convicted of threefold high-treason! Go on,
go on!"

But Munnich showed himself less unruffled and sarcastic in the face of
his judges. These never-ending questions, this ceaseless teasing about
trifles, exhausted his patience at last. He wearied of continually
turning aside these laughably trivial accusations, of convincing his
judges of his innocence, and making them ashamed of the nature of the
proofs adduced.

"Let it suffice," said he, at length to his judges; "after hours of vain
labor, you see that in this way you will never attain your end. I will
propose to you a better and safer course. Write down your questions, and
append to each the answer you desire me to give; I will then sign the
whole protocol and declare it correct."

"Are you in earnest?" joyfully asked the judges.

"Quite in earnest!" proudly answe