enerable white head. Then the folding-doors
closed, and shut in the grey twilight of the corridor.

The villagers had always regarded the turnpike-keeper as rather an
eccentric person; but henceforth they began to look upon him as
downright crazy. The old widow who had hitherto done his housekeeping
was the first to spread this rumour.

The old man took to shutting himself up more and more. Nobody was ever
allowed to cross his threshold.

The peasants, however, let him go his way. Every one has a right to do
as he likes; and the turnpike-keeper's manner of life was beginning to
be looked on as a matter of course, when suddenly he drew upon himself
universal attention.

There was to be a fresh election for the Reichstag in the district, the
conservative candidate's victory having been disallowed. He had only
been successful after a second ballot, in which the votes of the two
parties had held the balance almost even; and the election had just
been declared null and void, in consequence of the protest made by the
social-democrats. The two rival parties, social-democrats and
conservatives, were now preparing anew for battle. Every single vote
was of consequence, and canvassing went on busily. Election literature
flooded the constituency; it was thrown in at open windows and pushed
under door-sills.

The turnpike-keeper had hitherto always placed himself at the disposal
of the conservative candidate.

The conservative party liked to display names of the "small people" of
the neighbourhood on the list of their supporters, in addition to
signatures of councillors of state, burgomasters, landlords, &c.

And now suddenly Friedrich August Vogt came and demanded to have his
name taken off the list.

The president of the election committee, a cavalry officer in the
reserve and the lord of the manor, attempted to make him reconsider his
determination. He wanted to know the reasons for this sudden change of
conviction, and asked pathetically if the old soldier was going to be
unfaithful at this time of day to the motto: "God, King, and Country"?
Vogt stuck to his demand, but he declined to give any reasons.

On the day of the election the turnpike-keeper was troubled with a
feverish unrest. Ten times and more he put on his hat and stood at the
house door with his big stick in his hand, but he always turned back
again.

The polling was to end at six o'clock. Shortly before that hour he
strung himself up to a resolve. H