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THE PATRIOTEER

has been fulfilled. Down below Kunze received him and kissed him on both cheeks, oblivious of everything, whereat the loyalists applauded. The others shouted: "Proof!" or "Nonsense!" But "Let Cohn speak!" that was the general cry. It was impossible for Cohn to evade this invitation. Old Buck looked at him; his cheeks were quivering and he was rigid, and then he called upon him to speak. Cohn, pushed forward vigorously by Heuteufel, came out very indecisively from behind the long table of the committee, dragged his feet, and created a most unfavourable impression even before he started. He smiled apologetically. "Gentlemen, you will hardly believe what the previous speaker has said." He spoke so softly that hardly anybody understood. Yet Cohn fancied, even then, that he had gone too far. "I will not exactly contradict the previous speaker, but it was not the way he has described."

"Aha! He admits it!"—and suddenly there broke loose such an uproar that Cohn, who anticipated nothing, jumped backwards. The room was filled with noise and gesticulation. Here and there opponents were falling upon one another. "Hurra!" screamed Kühnchen as he rushed through the crowd, with streaming hair, swinging his fists and egging on the fight. … On the platform also every one had jumped up, except the police officer. Old Buck had left the chairman's seat, and with his back to the people, on whose deaf ears the last cry of his conscience had fallen, he turned away his eyes so that nobody could see he was weeping, forsaken and alone. Heuteufel spoke indignantly to the police officer, who did not move from his chair, but was told that the police alone decided if and when the meeting should be stopped. There was no necessity to do so just when the Liberals were getting the worst of it. Then Heuteufel went to the table and rang the bell, shouting, as he did so: "The second name!" And as every one on the platform joined in the cry, it was finally audible, and Heuteufel could continue.