igher. But it happens that we know whom we have to deal with, and we
are not going to serve as stirrups for a turn-coat official."

The chairman wound up with a speech in which he announced that the vote
on the question of common schools would soon come off, and then
adjourned the meeting.

The millionaires drew back to allow the crowd to disperse. Near them
stood Mr. Seicht, alone and dejected. The countenances of the
chieftains had yielded him no evidence on which to base a hope that his
speech had told, and that he might expect to occupy a seat in the
assembly. Moreover, Sand had rudely insulted the ambitious official to
his face. This he took exceedingly hard. All of a sudden, he spied the
banker in the chancel, and went over to greet him. Greifmann introduced
Gerlach.

"I am proud," Mr. Seicht asseverated, "of the acquaintance of the
wealthiest proprietor of the country."

"Pardon the correction, sir; my father is the proprietor."

"No matter, you are his only son," rejoined Seicht. "Your presence
proves that you take an interest in the great questions of the day.
This is very laudable."

"My presence, however, by no means proves that I concur in the object
of this meeting. Curiosity has led me hither."

The official directed a look of inquiry at the banker.

"Sheer curiosity," repeated this gentleman coldly.

"Can you not, then, become reconciled to the spirit of progress?" asked
Seicht, with a smile revealing astonishment.

"The value of my convictions consists in this, that I worship genuine
progress," replied the millionaire gravely. "The progress of this
community, in particular, looks to me like retrogression."

"I am astonished at what you say," returned the official; "for surely
Shund's masterly speech has demonstrated that we are keeping pace with
the age."

"I cannot see, sir, how fiendish hatred of religion can be taken for
progress. This horrible, bloodthirsty monster existed even in the days
of Nero and Tiberius, as we all know. Can the resurrection of it, now
that it has been mouldering for centuries, be seriously looked upon as
a step in advance? Rather a step backward, I should think, of eighteen
hundred years. Especially horrible and revolting is this latest
instance of tyranny, forcing parents who entertain religious sentiments
to send their children to irreligious schools. Not even Nero and
Tiberius went so far. On this point, I agree, there has been progress,
but it consists in pu