His wife brought some.

And Christian said: "Is that of the kind the barber's dog laps up?"

Bailiff. "Yes, indeed, I'm likely to be such a fool again!"

Chris. "But what devil's scheme had you in your head?"

Bailiff. "By G―, none! It was mere folly. I had eaten nothing, and did not like to drink."

Chris. "Whistle that to a dog; perhaps it may believe you: not I."

Bailiff. "Why not?"

Chris. "Why not? Because the wine we were drinking smelt of sulphur like the plague."

Bailiff "Who says so?"

Chris. "I, Mr. Urias! I said nothing of it at the time; but when I carried home the empty jug, it reeked in my nose so that it almost knocked me down. All things considered, you have certainly had some scheme in your head to-day."

Bailiff. "I know no more than the child in the cradle what wine my wife sent. Thou art a fool with thy fancies."

Chris. "Ay, but you know, well enough, what a fine sermon you made on the rights of the land. I suppose you said all that with as little meaning as a man has when he takes a pinch of snuff."

Bailiff. "Hold thy foolish tongue, Christian. The best thing I could do, would be to have thee well beaten for upsetting my jug. But I must know now how they went on at the barber's after I left them."

Chris.

"And your promise, bailiff."

Bailiff. "What promise?"

Chris. "That I should have wine till morning for nothing, if I got to know it."

Bailiff. "But if thou knowest nothing, wouldst thou still be drinking?" Chris. "If I know nothing! Send for the wine, and your shall hear." The bailiff had it brought, sat down by him; then Christian told him all he knew, and more besides. Sometimes he contradicted himself so barefacedly, that the bailiff perceived it, and called out: "You dog, do 'nt lie so that a man can take hold of it with his hands!"

"No, by G," answered Christian, "as true as I am a sinner, every hair and point of it is true."

"Come, come," said the bailiff, who by this time had had enough, "Shaben Michel is here, and I must speak to him;" and he then went to the other table where Michel was sitting, slapped him on the shoulder, and said:

CHAPTER XXIX.-CONTINUATION OF THE CONVERSATION OF ROGUES WITH EACH

OTHER.

"ART thou also amongst the sinners? I thought, since thou wert called to the church building, thou hadst become a saint; like our butcher, because he once had to ring a week for the sexton."

Michel. "No, bailiff! My calls are not so sudden; but, when I once begin, I will go through with it."

Bailiff. "I should like to be thy father confessor, Michel."

Mich. "Nay, I can not consent to that."

Mich. "Because thou wouldst double my score with thy holy chalk."

Mich. "No, bailiff! I must have a father confessor who will forgive and look over sins, and not one who will chalk them down against me!"

Bailiff. "Well, I can forgive and overlook sins, as well as another "

Mich. "What! sins in thy books?"

Bailiff. "Truly, I am often obliged to do so; and it is better people should think I do it willingly."

"We shall see," said the bailiff, making a sign to him.

They went together to the little table, near the fire.

And the bailiff said: "It is well thou art come; and lucky for thee."

Mich. "I have great need of luck."

Bailiff. "So I suppose; but if thou art willing, thou canst not fail to make money by this new place."

Mich. "And how must I manage it?"

Bailiff "Thou must get into favor with the mason, and seem very hungry and poor."

Mich. "I can do that without lying."

Bailiff. "Thou must also often give thy supper to thy children, that people may think thy heart is as soft as melted butter; and thy children must run after thee bare-footed and bare-legged."

Mich. "There is no difficulty in that either."

Bailiff.

work."

"And when thou art the favorite of all the ten, then comes the true

Mich. "What is that to be?"

Bailiff. "To do all that thou canst to make quarrels and misunderstandings about the building; to throw things into confusion, and to make mischief between the laborers and their masters and the squire."

Mich.

Bailiff.

“There will be more difficulty in that part of the business.”

"But it is a part by which thou mayst get money."

Mich. "Ay, if it were not for the hope of that, a cunning man might give such a direction, but only a fool would follow it."

Bailiff. "It is a matter of course, that thou wilt get money by it."

Mich. "Two crowns in hand, Mr. Bailiff. I must have so much paid down, or I will have nothing to do with it."

Bailiff. "Thou art more unconscionable every day, Michel. I show thee how thou mayst get wages for nothing, and thou wouldst have me also pay thee for taking my good advice."

Mich. "What is all that to the purpose? Thou wilt have me play the rogue in thy service, and so I will, and be true and hearty in it; but payment in hand, that is two crowns, and not a kreutzer less, I must have, or thou mayst do it thyself."

Bailiff. "Thou dog! thou knowest well enough how to get thy own way. There are thy two crowns for thee."

Mich. "Now it is all right, master! thou hast nothing to do but to give thy orders."

Bailiff. “I think thou mayst easily by night break down some of the scaffolding, and knock out a couple of the windows; and of course thou wilt make away with ropes and tools, and such light things as are lying around."

Mich. "Naturally."

Bailiff. "And it would be no very difficult affair to carry some of the timber over the hill to the river, and send it back again toward Holland."

Mich. 'No, no! I can manage that. I will hang a great white shirt upon a pole, in the middle of the churchyard, that if the watchman, or any of the old women in the neighborhood hear a noise, they may fancy it is a ghost, and keep away from me."

Bailiff. "Thou art a rascally heretic. What a scheme!"

Mich. "I will do so, however; it may serve to keep me from the pillory." Bailiff. "Well, but there is another thing. If thou canst find any drawings, or calculations, or plans of the squire's, lying about, thou must quietly put them out of the way, where nobody would think of looking for them, and at night mend thy fire with them."

Mich. "Very well, Mr. Bailiff."

Bailiff. "And thou must contrive so as to make thy honorable comrades inclined to be merry, and work idly, and particularly when the squire or any body from the hall comes down, and then thou canst wink, as much as to say: You see how it is."

Mich.

after."

Well, I will do what I can. I see plainly enough what thou art

Bailiff. "But, of all things, the most important is, that thou and I should be enemies."

Mich. “Very true.”

Bailiff. "We will begin directly. There may be tell-tales here, who will talk of how we held counsel secretly together."

Mich. "Thou art right."

Bailiff. "Drink another glass or two, and I will pretend as if I would reckon with thee, and thou wouldst not agree. I will make a noise about it, thou must abuse me, and we will thrust thee out of the house."

Mich.

"Well thought of." He drank what was in the pitcher, and then said to the bailiff, "Come, begin."

The bailiff muttered something about reckoning, and then said aloud: "I never received the florin."

Bailiff. "It is very strange. Give me the book!" She brought it, and the bailiff read: "Here it is-Monday-nothing from thee. Tuesday-nothing. Wednesday-Didst thou say it was on Wednesday?"

Mich. "Yes!"

Bailiff. "Here is Wednesday-look! there is nothing from thee-and on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday-not a syllable of the florin."

Mich. "The devil! I tell you I paid it."

Bailiff. "Softly, softly, good neighbor-I write down every thing."

Mich. "What the deuce is your writing to me, bailiff? I paid the florin." Bailiff. "It is not true, Michel."

Mich. "Here's a rogue, to say I have not paid him!"

Bailiff. "What dost thou say, thou unhanged rascal?"

Some of the countrymen got up:-"He has given the bailiff the lie, we heard him."

Mich. "No, I did not. But I paid the florin."

Men. "What dost thou say, thou knave, that thou didst not give him the lie? We all heard it."

Bailiff. "Turn the dog out of the room."

Michel took up a knife, and called out: "Let any one who touches me look to it."

Bailiff. "Take the knife away from him."

They took the knife from him, turned him out of the room, and sat down again.

Bailiff. "It's well he is gone. He was only a spy of the mason's.”
Countrymen. "By G, so he was. We are well rid of him."

CHAPTER XXX.-CONTINUATION OF THE CONVERSATION OF ROGUES WITH EACH
OTHER, IN A DIFFERENT STYLE.

BRING us some more wine. Bailiff! we will drink on the strength of the harvest, and let you have one sheaf out of every ten for a measure of wine. Bailiff. "You will not pay me soon, then."

Countrymen. "No; but you will have heavier weight for that."

The bailiff sat down with them, and drank to their hearts' content, on the strength of the future tithe.

Now their mouths were opened, and there arose from all the tables a wild uproar of oaths and curses, of dissolute, idle talk, of abuse and insolence. They told stories of licentiousness and theft, of blows and insults, of debts they had cunningly escaped paying, of lawsuits they had won by clever tricks, of wickedness and riots, which for the most part were false; but, alas! too much was true. How they had stolen from the old squire's woods, and fields, and tithes and how their wives whined over their children-how one took up a prayerbook, and another hid the jug of wine in the chaff and straw. Also of their boys and girls,-how one helped his father to cheat his mother, and another took part with the mother against the father-and how they had all done as much or more when they were lads. Then they got to talking about old Uli, who had been caught in such fool's talk, and cruelly brought to the gallows; but how he had prayed at last and made a holy end of it. And how, when he had confessed, (though, as every body knew, but half,) still the hard-hearted pastor had not saved his life.

They were in the midst of this history of the pastor's cruelty, when the bailiff's wife beckoned him to come out. "Wait till we have finished the story of the

hanged man," was his answer.

But she whispered in his ear: "Joseph is come."

He replied: "Hide him somewhere, and I will come soon."

Joseph had crept into the kitchen; but there were so many people in the house, that the bailiff's wife was afraid of his being seen. She put out the light, and said to him: "Joseph! take off thy shoes, and come after me into the lower room. My husband will be with thee directly."

Joseph took his shoes in his hand, and followed her on tip-toe into the lower

room.

He had not waited long, before the bailiff came to him, and said: "What dost thou want so late, Joseph?"

Joseph. "Not much! I only want to tell you I have ordered all about the stone."

Bailiff. "I am glad of it, Joseph."

Joseph. "The master was talking to-day of the wall, and said that the flint stone, hard by, was very good-but I told him he was a fool, and did not know his own business; and that the wall would look much handsomer, and more polished, of Schwendi stone. He answered not a word; and I went on to say that, if he did not use Schwendi stone, it would be a loss to him."

Bailiff "Did he resolve upon it?"

Joseph. “Yes, he did, immediately. We are to begin with it on Monday." Bailiff. "The day-laborers are all going to the hall on Monday."

Joseph. "They will be back by noon, and busy with the stuff in the lime. It is as good as mixed."

Bailiff. "That is all right and well; if it were only begun-thy money is ready for thee, Joseph."

Joseph. "I am in great want of it just now, bailiff."

Bailiff

"Come on Monday, when you have begun with the quarry. It is put aside for thee."

Joseph. "Do you suppose I shall not keep my word?"

Bailiff. "Nay, I can trust thee, Joseph."

Joseph. "Then give me three crowns of it, now. I should like to get my new boots, at the shoemaker's, for to-morrow; it is my birth-day, and I dare not ask the master for any money."

Bailiff.

"I can not well give it thee now; come on Monday evening." Joseph. "I see how you trust me. It's one thing to promise, and another to perform. I thought I could depend upon the money, bailiff."

Bailiff. "On my soul thou shalt have it."

Joseph. "Bailiff! you show me, plainly enough, that you do not trust me: and I will make bold to tell you, that I fear, if the quarry is once opened, you will not keep your word with me."

Bailiff. "This is too bad, Joseph! I shall most certainly keep my word with thee."

Joseph. "I do not believe it. If you will not give it me now; it is all over." Bailiff. "Canst thou not manage with two crowns?"

Joseph. "No! I must have three; but then you may depend upon having every thing done."

Bailiff. "Well, I will give thee them: but thou must keep thy word."

Joseph. "If I do not, I give you leave to call me the greatest rogue and thief upon the earth."

The bailiff now called his wife and said: "Give Joseph three crowns."
His wife took him aside and said: "Do not let him have them."

Bailiff. "Do as I bid thee, without a word."

Wife. "Be not so foolish! Thou art in liquor and wilt repent to-morrow." Bailiff "Answer me not a word. Three crowns this moment! Dost thou hear what I say?"

His wife sighed, reached the money, and threw it to the bailiff. He gave it to Joseph, and said: "Thou wilt not, surely, deceive me."

"Heaven forbid! what dost thou take me for, bailiff?" answered Joseph. And he went away, counted over his three crowns, and said to himself: "Now I have my reward in my own hands, and it is safer there than in the bailiff's