ing hard on the gentry, that is not true! In Heaven's name! Why, it is
you who summon _him_ to court, but he always seeks a peaceful settlement
with you; he yields his rights and even pays the costs. He has a lawsuit
with the Count, but what of that? Both are rich; let magnate fight
magnate: what do we people care? The Judge a tyrant! He was the first to
forbid that the peasants should bow low before him, saying that that was a
sin. Often a company of peasants--I have seen this myself--sit at table with
him; he has paid the taxes for the village, and it is quite different at
Kleck, though there, Pan Buchmann, you run things in German fashion. The
Judge a traitor! I have known him since we were in the primary school; as
a lad he was honest, and to-day he is the same; he loves Poland above
everything, he keeps up Polish customs, he will not yield to Muscovite
fashions. Whenever I return from Prussia, and want to wash off the German
taint, I drop in at Soplicowo, as the centre of Polish ways; there a man
drinks and breathes his Country! In God's name, brothers Dobrzynski; I am
one of you, but I will not let the Judge be wronged; nothing will come of
that. It was not thus in Great Poland, brothers: what a spirit! what
harmony! It is pleasant to remember it! There no one dared to interrupt
our counsels with such a trifle."

"It is no trifle to hang scoundrels!" shouted the Warden.

The murmur was increasing. Suddenly Jankiel asked a hearing, jumped on a
bench, took his stand on it, and thus raised above their heads a beard
like a tavern bush, which hung down to his belt. With his right hand he
slowly took from his head his foxskin hat, with his left he adjusted his
disordered skull-cap; then he tucked his right hand in his girdle and
spoke thus, bowing low to all with his foxskin hat:--

"Well, gentlemen of Dobrzyn, I am nothing but a Jew; the Judge is no kith
or kin of mine; I respect the Soplicas as very good gentlemen and my
landlords; I respect also the Bartek and Maciej Dobrzynskis, as good
neighbours and my benefactors; but I say thus: if you want to do violence
to the Judge, that is very bad; some of you may get hurt and be killed.
But how about the assessors? and the police-captain? and the prison? For
in the village near Soplica's house there are heaps of soldiers, all
yagers! The Assessor is at the house; he need only whistle, and they will
march right up and stand there ready for action. And what will happen
then