otary; and, finally, to fill up the
measure of insult, tried to sing the _ca ira_, which in good monarchical
Holland was, I knew, a dire offence, but I broke down in the melody, and
had to come back to prose. However, it came just to the same--all was
silent. When I ceased speaking, not even an echo returned me a reply.
At last I grew wearied; the thought that all my anathemas had only an
audience of weasels and woodpeckers damped the ardour of my eloquence,
and I fell into a musing fit on Dutch justice, which seemed admirably
adapted to those good old times when people lived to the age of eight
or nine hundred years, and when a few months were as the twinkling of
an eye. Then I began a little plan of a tour from the time of my
liberation, cautiously resolving never to move out of the most beaten
tracks, and to avoid all districts where the mayor was a Dutchman.
Hunger and thirst and cold by this time began to tell upon my spirits
too, and I grew sleepy from sheer exhaustion.

Scarcely had I nodded my head twice in slumber, when a loud shout awoke
me. I opened my eyes, and saw a vast mob of men, women, and children
carrying torches, and coming through the wood at full speed, the
procession being led by a venerable-looking old man on a white pony,
whom I at once guessed to be the cure, while the fool, with a very
imposing branch of burning pine, walked beside him. 'Good-evening to
you, monsieur,' said the old man, as he took off his hat, with an air of
courtesy.

'You must excuse the miserable plight I 'm in, Monsieur le Cure,' said
I, 'if I can't return your politeness; but I 'm tied.'

'Cut the cords at once,' said the good man to the crowd that now pressed
forward.

'Your pardon, Father Jacques,' said the mayor, as he sat up in the grass
and rubbed his eyes, which sleep seemed to have almost obliterated; 'but
the _procesverbal_ is----'

'Quite unnecessary here,' replied the old man. 'Cut the rope, my
friends.'

'Not so fast,' said the mayor, pushing towards me. 'I 'll untie it.
That's a good cord and worth eight sous.'

And so, notwithstanding all my assurances that I 'd give him a
crown-piece to use more despatch, he proceeded leisurely to unfasten
every knot, and took at least ten minutes before he set me at liberty.

'Hurrah!' said I, as the last coil was withdrawn, and I attempted to
spring into the air; but my cramped and chilled limbs were unequal to
the effort, and I rolled headlong on the grass.

T