the house with it.

The Leather-bell remained kneeling on the ground, staring amazedly with
foolish, wide-open eyes at the spilt powder. Then he moistened the tip
of his index-finger in his mouth, and dipping it gingerly in the powder,
transferred a tiny morsel thereof to the tip of his tongue, and
instantly fell expectorating in every direction. At last he frantically
scraped a good bit of it together, drew his handkerchief from his
breast-pocket, shovelled a portion of the suspicious substance into it,
looking round cautiously all the time in case anyone should see him,
then shuffled out of the hall, departed from the courtyard by way of the
garden, and, once free of the house, set off running rapidly towards
the inn on the outskirts of the village, as if the most fleet-footed of
horrors were behind him, his head, as usual, being a good yard or so in
advance of his feet.

When he entered the tavern it never once struck him how very calm and
peaceful it happened to be there at that particular moment. Mr. Martin
Csicseri, the village justice, was sitting at the head of the table, and
before him on the table lay his long hazel stick.

"I wish you a very good evening, my dear Mr. Justice and good Mr.
Comrade, if I may make so free. 'Tis a good job you are here. And where
may Hamza and Spletyko be?"

The village justice regarded him angrily.

"They are in a very good place where they will do no mischief--the
stocks."

"Really? Well, they will certainly be well looked after there. All the
same it is a great shame they are not here just now." Then, lowering his
voice mysteriously, he added: "Well, my honoured comrade, I myself can
now say that it is all up with us."

"How is it all up with us?" inquired Martin Csicseri, leaning both
elbows heavily on the table.

"Oh, it's all up with us in every way, all up, all up!" wailed the
Leather-bell, rapidly pacing up and down the room, and pressing his head
betwixt his hands. "It is all up with the whole village."

"Will you tell me how it is all up with us, you old woman, you. Are you
aware that this stick has an end to it, and I am very much inclined to
give it some work to do on your back this instant?"

The fellow made as if he would simply answer the justice's question, yet
all the while he kept glancing about him timidly, till five or six
inquisitive rustics had also gathered around him, only then did he
exclaim in a strident whisper: "The poison has already arrive