has suffered wrong," thinks
Heucking; "that is the true bottom." And so they part, each with his
own opinion. Neumann affirmed afterwards, that the Colonel came with a
predetermination that way, and even that he said, once or oftener, in
his eagerness to persuade: "His Majesty has got it into his thought;
there will be nothing but trouble if you persist in that notion."
To which virtuous Neumann was deaf. Neumann also says, The Colonel,
acquainted with Austrian enemies, but not with Law, had brought with him
his Regiment's-Auditor, one Bech, formerly a Law-practitioner in Crossen
(readers know Crossen, and Ex-Dictator Wedell does),--Law-practitioner
in Crossen; who had been in strife with the Custrin Regierung, under
rebuke from them (too importunate for some of his pauper clients,
belike); was a cunning fellow too, and had the said Regierung in
ill-will. An adroit fellow Bech might be, or must have been; but his now
office of Regiment's-Auditor is certificate of honesty,--good, at least,
against Neumann.

Neumann's Court was silent about these Neumann surmises; but said
afterwards, "Heucking had not gone to the bottom of the thing." This was
in a subsequent report, some five or six weeks subsequent. Their present
report they redacted to the effect, "All correct as it stood," without
once mentioning Heucking. Gave it in, 27th September; by which time
Heucking's also was in, and had made a strong impression on his Majesty.
Presumably an honest, intelligible report; though, by ill-luck for the
curious, it is now lost; among the barrow-loads of vague wigged stuff,
this one Piece, probably human, is not to be discovered.

Friedrich's indignation at the Custrin report, "Perfectly correct as
it stood," and no mention of Heucking or his dissent, was considerable:
already, 27th September,--that is, on the very day while those Custrin
people were signing their provoking report,--Friedrich, confident
in Heucking, had transmitted to his Supreme Board of Justice
(KAMMERGERICHT) the impartial Heucking's account of the affair, with
order, "See there, an impartial human account, clear and circumstantial
(DEUTLICHES UND GANZ UMSTANDLICHES), going down to the true roots of the
business: swift, get me justice for these Arnolds!" [Preuss, iii. 480.]
Scarcely was this gone, when, September 29th, the Custrin impertinence,
"Perfectly right as it stood," came to hand; kindling the King into hot
provocation; "extreme displeasure, AUSSERSTES M