; whoever comes by night into
another man's loft is an owl, and I will scare him hence."

"Put him out!" shouted the Chamberlain.

"Count, you see what is being done," called the Warden. "Is Your Honour
not yet sufficiently tainted by eating and drinking with these Soplicas?
In addition, must I, the keeper of the castle, Gerwazy Rembajlo, Warden of
the Horeszkos, be insulted in the house of my lords?--and will you endure
it!"

Thereupon Protazy called out three times.--

"Silence, clear the room! I, Protazy Baltazar Brzechalski, known under two
titles, once General of the Tribunal, commonly called Apparitor, hereby
make my apparitor's report and formal declaration--claiming as witnesses
all free-born persons here present and summoning the Assessor to
investigate the case in behalf of His Honour Judge Soplica--as to an
incursion, that is to say, an infringement of the frontier, a violent
entry of the castle, over which hitherto the Judge has had legal
authority, an evident proof of which is the fact that he is eating in the
castle."

"Wind-bag," yelled the Warden, "I'll show you now!"

And, taking from his belt his iron keys, he whirled them round his head
and hurled them with all his might; the bunch of iron flew like a stone
from a sling. It would surely have split Protazy's brow into quarters, but
luckily the Apparitor ducked and escaped death.

All started from their places. For a moment there was a dead silence; then
the Judge cried, "To the stocks with that bully! Ho, boys!"--and the
servants rushed nimbly along the narrow passage between the wall and the
bench. But the Count blocked their way with a chair, and, placing his foot
firmly on that feeble entrenchment, called out:--

"Beware, Judge! No one shall do injury to my servant in my own house;
whoever has a complaint against the old man, let him present it to me."

The Chamberlain cast a sidelong glance into the eyes of the Count:--

"Without your valuable aid I shall manage to punish the insolent old
fellow; but Your Honour the Count is appropriating the castle ahead of
time, before the decree is pronounced. You are not lord here, you are not
entertaining us. Sit quiet as you have been sitting; if you honour not my
grey head, at least respect the first office in the district."

"What do I care?" muttered the Count in return. "Enough of this prattle!
Bore other men with your respects and offices! I have been guilty of folly
enough already, when I j