fingers in his ears.

"Thunder and lightning!" exclaimed he wrathfully, "what a shallow
babbler! What is he driving at? His periods are a yard long; and when
he has done, a man is no wiser than when he began. Gospel--gospel of
progress--fool--numskull--down! down!"

"Quite a remarkable instance, this!" said Gerlach to the banker.
"Evidently this man is trying might and main to please, yet he only
succeeds in torturing his hearers."

"I will explain this man to you," replied the banker. "Heretofore Mr.
Seicht has been a most complete exemplar of absolute bureaucracy. The
only divinity he knew were the statutes, the only heaven the bureau,
and the only safe way of reaching supreme felicity was, in his opinion,
to render unquestioning obedience to ministerial rescripts. Suddenly
Mr. Seicht heard the card-house of bureaucracy start in all its joints.
His divinity lost its worshippers, and his heaven lost all charms for
those who were seeking salvation. He felt the ground moving under him,
he realized the colossal might of progress, and hastened to commend
himself to this party by adopting liberal ideas. He is now aiming to
secure a seat in the house of delegates, which is subsequently to serve
him as a stepping-stone to a place in the cabinet. Just listen how the
man is agonizing! He is wasting his strength, however, and the attitude
of the audience is beginning to get alarming."

For some time past, the chieftains in the chancel had been shaking
their heads at the efforts of this official advocate of progress. To
avoid being tortured by hearing, they had engaged in conversation. The
auditors in the nave of the church were also growing restive. The
speaker, however, continued blind to every hint and insinuation. At
last a tall fellow in the crowd swung his hat and cried, "Three cheers
for Mr. Seicht!" The whole nave joined in a deafening cheer. Seicht,
imagining the cheering to be a tribute to the excellence of his effort,
stopped for a moment to permit the uproar to subside, intending then to
go on with his speech; but no sooner had he resumed than the cheering
burst forth anew, and was so vigorously sustained that the man, at
length perceiving the meaning of the audience, came down amid peals of
derisive laughter.

"Serves the gabbler right!" said Sand. "He's a precious kind of a
fellow! The booby thinks he can hoist himself into the chamber of
deputies by means of the shoulders of progress, and thence to climb up
h