gain to his clerk, and dictated something of which I could
but catch the concluding words, "And thereby imputing perjury to the
so-called Rigges."

It was all I could do to repress an outburst of anger at this
unjustifiable system of inference, but I did restrain myself, and merely
said, "I impute nothing, Herr Procurator; I simply suggest a possible
case, that everything suffered by Rigges was inflicted by some other
than I."

"If you had accomplices, name them," said he, solemnly.

This overcame all my prudent resolves. I was nowise prepared for such
a perversity of misconception, and, losing all patience and all respect
for his authority, I burst out into a most intemperate attack on
Austria, her code, her system, her ignorant indifference to all European
enlightenment, her bigoted adherence to forms either unmeaning or
pernicious, winding up all with a pleasant prediction that in a few
short years the world would have seen the last of this stolid and
unteachable empire.

Instead of deigning a reply, he merely bent down to the table, and I saw
by the movement of his lips, and the rapid course of the clerk's pen,
that my statement was being reduced to writing.

"When you have completed that," said I, gravely, "I have some further
observations to record."

"In a moment,--in a moment," patiently responded the procurator; "we
have only got to 'the besotted stupidity of her pretentious officials.'"

The calm quietude of his manner, as he said this, threw me into a fit of
laughter which lasted several minutes.

"There, there," said I, "that will do; I will keep the remainder of my
remarks for another time and place."

"'Reserving to himself,'" dictated he, "'the right of uttering still
more bitter and untruthful comments on a future occasion.'" And the
clerk wrote the words as he spoke them.

"You will sign this here," said he, presenting me with the pen.

"Nothing of the kind, Herr Procurator. I will not lend myself to any,
even the most ordinary, form of your stupid system."

"'And refuses to sign the foregoing,'" dictated he, in the same unmoved
voice. This done, he arose, and proceeded to draw on his gloves. "The
act of allegation I now commit to your hands," said he, calmly, "and you
will have a week to reflect upon the course you desire to adopt."

"One question before you go: Is the person called Rigges here at this
moment, and can I see him?"

He consulted for a few seconds with his subordinate, an