he
doorstep, where with enthusiastic delight he gave himself up to the
pleasure, long unknown, of smoking a good cigar. The last of it he put
into his pipe and smoked it until there was nothing left but ashes and
a few brown drops. In the evening, when the sailmaker came from the
mayor's garden, with, as usual, plenty to relate about the pear-cider
and white bread and radishes he had had for his lunch, and how
splendidly they had treated him, Huerlin also recounted his adventure
with long-winded eloquence, to Heller's great envy.

"And what have you done with the cigars?" he asked at once with
interest.

"Smoked them," said Huerlin, haughtily.

"Both?"

"Yes, you old simpleton, both."

"Both at once?"

"No, you fool, first one and then the other."

"Is that true?"

"Why shouldn't it be true?"

"Well," said the sailmaker, who did not believe the story, quickly,
"then I'll tell you something. You're a dumb ox, and a big one at
that."

"Am I? And why?"

"If you'd put one by, you'd have had something for tomorrow. Now what
have you got?"

This was too much for the manufacturer. With a grin he drew the
remaining cigar from his breast-pocket and held it before the eyes of
the envious sailmaker, in order to annoy him. "Do you see that?
There--I'm not such a God-forsaken idiot as you think I am!"

"Oh, so you've still got one left! Let me look at it."

"Hold on! I don't know--"

"Oh, just to look at it. I'm a judge of whether it's a good one. You'll
get it back right away." So Huerlin gave him the cigar. He turned it
about in his fingers, held it to his nose and sniffed at it awhile, and
said, as he reluctantly gave it back, "There you are--it's miserable
cabbage-leaf, the kind you get two for a kreuzer."

Then there arose a discussion as to the goodness and the price of the
cigar, which lasted until they went to bed. When they were undressing,
Huerlin laid his treasure on his pillow and watched it anxiously. Heller
mocked him: "Yes, take it to bed with you! Perhaps it'll have little
ones." The manufacturer made no reply; when his companion was in bed,
he put the cigar carefully on the windowsill and went to bed too. He
stretched himself luxuriously, and before he went to sleep still
savored the enjoyment of the afternoon, when he had so proudly
blown his smoke out into the sunshine, and when with the fragrance
something of his former splendor and consciousness of greatness had
returned to him. Just so i