? But if you are expecting the French, why the French are still far
off, a long road. I'm a Jew and know nothing of war, but I have been in
Bielica, where I met Jews straight from the boundary. The report is that
the French were stationed on the river Lososna, and that if there is to be
war, it will not come till spring. Well, I tell you, wait; the farm of
Soplicowo is not a fair booth, that is taken apart, put in a waggon, and
carried off; the farm will stand as it is until spring. And the Judge is
no Jew in a rented tavern; he won't run away, you can find him in the
spring. But now pray disperse, and don't speak aloud of what has occurred,
for to talk of it will do no good. And I beg you all, kind gentlemen,
follow me: my Sarah has given birth to a little Jankiel, and to-day I
treat the crowd; and the music is splendid! I will order bagpipes, a bass
viol, and two fiddles; and Pan Maciek, my friend, likes old July mead and
a new mazurka. I have new mazurkas, and I have taught my kids to sing just
fine."

The eloquence of the universally beloved Jankiel touched the hearts of his
hearers; there arose cries and exclamations of joy; the murmur of
approbation was even spreading beyond the house, when Gerwazy aimed his
penknife at Jankiel. The Jew jumped down and disappeared in the crowd; the
Warden shouted:--

"Begone, Jew, don't stick your fingers into the door; this is not your
business! Prussian, because you, sir, conduct your trading with the
Judge's pair of miserable boats, are you shouting for him? Have you
forgotten, my boy, that your respected father used to make the trip to
Prussia with twenty Horeszko boats? Thence he and his family grew rich;
yes, and every one of you that are living here in Dobrzyn. For you old men
remember, and you young men have heard, that the Pantler was the father
and benefactor of you all. Whom did he send as manager to his Pinsk
estates? A Dobrzynski. Who were his accountants? Dobrzynskis. He chose
none for majordomos and none for butlers except Dobrzynskis; his house was
full of Dobrzynskis. He pressed your cases before the courts, he gained
pensions for you from the king; he put your children by droves in the
Piarist136 schools, and paid for their clothes, board, and lodging; when
they grew up he even got places for them, also at his own expense. Why did
he do this? Because he was your neighbour. To-day Soplica's landmarks
touch your borders; what good has _he_ ever done you?"

"Not a