for when once all the villagers are insured by the
Trieste Insurance Company, I see no difference whether there is hail or
not. In fact, it would be better if there were some, for, if I know the
villagers well, they will immediately go and insure the harvest far
beyond its worth if the dead body is taken through the village. So the
hail would not be such a great misfortune, but the carriage of the
corpse through the village would be."

He was a grand debater after all, that Senator Fajka, for he had again
hit the right nail on the head, and at the same time enlightened the
Galba and the Kozsehuba factions.

"What a brain!" they exclaimed.

The word brain reminded Galba of the dissecting part of the
business--per _associationem idearum_--and he at once began to discuss
the point.

"Why dissect the man? We know who he is, for it is as plain as pie-crust
that he is an agent for some Insurance Company, and has hanged himself
here in our neighborhood in order to make people insure their harvest.
It's as clear as day!"

"You are mad, Galba," said Konopka crossly.

Upon which the Senators all jumped up from their places, and then the
noise broke forth, or, as Fiala, the town-servant and crier, used to
say, "they began to boil the town saucepan," and every eye was fixed on
the mayor, the spoon which was to skim the superfluous froth. But the
mayor drew his head down into the dark blue collar of his coat, and
seemed quite to disappear in it; he gnawed his mustache, and stood there
helplessly, wondering what he was to say and do now, when all at once
the door opened, and Gyuri Wibra stood before them. In spite of all
folks may say, the powers above always send help at the right moment.

At sight of the stranger, who, an hour or two before, had wanted to buy
an old umbrella of Mrs. Muencz, the mayor suddenly pushed back his chair
and hurried toward him (let the Senators think he had some important
business to transact with the new arrival).

"Ah, sir," he said hurriedly, "you were looking for me, I suppose?"

"If you are the mayor, yes."

"Of course, of course!" (Who else could be mayor in Babaszek but
Mravucsan, he wondered?)

"They have been crying the loss of an earring, and I have found it. Here
it is."

The mayor's face beamed with delight.

"Now that is real honesty, sir. That is what I like. This is the first
earring that has been lost since I have been in office, and even that is
found. That's what I call