We arrivedⒶ back to our beer-and-chess room troubled and miserable. Our adventure went the rounds ofⒶ the castle, and soon the ladies and the servants came, pale and frightened, and when they heard the facts it knocked them dumb for one while, which was not a bad thing.

But the men were not dumb. They boldly proposed to denounce the magician to the Church and get him burnt, for this thing was a

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little too much, they said. And just then the magician appeared, and when he heard those awful words, fire and the Church, he was that scared he couldn't stand; the bones fairly melted in his legs and he squshed down in a chair alongside of Frau SteinⒶ and Maria, and began to beg and beseech. His airy pride and self-sufficiency had allⒶ gone out of him, and he pretended with all his might that he hadn't brought those spectres and hadn't had anything to do with it. He seemed so earnest that a body could hardly keep from believing him, and so distressed that I had to pity him though I had no love for him, but only admiration.

But Katzenyammer pressed him hard, and so did Binks and Moses Haas, and when Maria and her mother tried to put in a word for him they convinced nobody and did him no good. Doangivadam put the climax to the poor man's trouble and hit the nail on the head with a remark which everybody recognized as the wisest and tellingest thing that had been said yet. He said—

“Balthasar Hoffman, such things don't happen by accident—you know that very well, and we all do. You are the only person in the castle that has the power to do a miracle like that. Now then—firstly, it happened; secondly, it didn't happen by itself; thirdly, you are here.Ⓐ What would anybody but a fool conclude?”

Several shouted—

“He's got him! got him where he can't budge!”

Another shouted—Ⓐ

“He doesn't answer, and he can't—the stake's the place for him!”

The poor old thing began to cry. The men rose againstⒶ him in a fury; they were going to seizeⒶ him and hale him before the authorities, but Doangivadam interposed some more wisdom, good and sound. He said—

“Wait. It isn't the best way. He will leave the enchantment on, for revenge. We want it taken off, don't we?”

Everybody agreed, by acclamation. Doangivadam certainly had a wonderful head, and full of talent.Ⓐ

“Very well, then. Now Balthasar Hoffman, you've got a chance for your life. It has suited you to deny, in the most barefaced way, that you put that enchantment on—let that pass, itⒶ doesn't signify.

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What we want to know now, is, if we let you alone, do you promise it shan't happen again?”

It brought up his spirits like raising the dead, he was so glad and grateful.

“I do, I do!” he said; “on my honor it shan't happen again.”

It made the greatest change. Everybody was pleased, and the awful shadow of that fear vanished from all facesⒶ, and they were as doomed men that had been saved. Doangivadam made the magician give his honor that he would not try to leave the castle, but would stand by, and be a safeguard; and went on to say—

“That enchantment had malice back of it. It is my opinion that those invisible creatures have been setting up and printing mere rubbishⒶ, in order to use up the paper-supply and defeat the master's contract and ruin him. I want somebody to go and see. Who will volunteer?”

There was a large silence; enough of it to spread a foot deep over four acres. It spread further and further, and got thicker and thicker. Finally Moses Haas said,Ⓐ in his mean way—

“Why don't you go?”

They all had to smile at that, for it was a good hit. Doangivadam managed to work up a smile, too, but you could see it didn't taste good; then he said—

“I'll be frank about it. I don't go because I am afraid to. Who is the bravest person here?”

Nearly everybody nominated Ernest Wasserman, and laughed, and Doangivadam ordered him to go and see, but he spoke out with disgust and indignation and said—

“See you in hellⒶ, first, and then I wouldn't!”

Then old Katrina spoke up proud and high, and said—

“There's my boy, there. I layⒶ he's not afraid. Go 'long and look, child.”

They thought 44 wouldn'tⒶ, but I thought he wouldⒶ, and I was right, for he started right along, and Doangivadam patted him on the head and praised his pluck as he went by. It annoyedⒶ Ernest Wasserman and made him jealous, and he pursed upⒶ his lips and said—

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“I wasn't afraid to go, but I'm no slave and I wasn't going to do it on any random unclassifiedⒶ Tom-Dick-and-Harry's orders.”

Not a person laughed or said a word, but every man got out his composing rule and scraped wood, and the noise of it was like a concert of jackasses. That is a thing that will take the stiffening out of the conceitedest donkey you can start, and it squelched Ernest Wasserman, and he didn't pipe up any more. Forty-FourⒶ came back with an astonisher. He said—

“The invisibles have finished the job, and it's perfect. The contract is saved.”

“Carry that news to the master!” shoutedⒶ Doangivadam, and Marget got right up and started on that mission; and when she delivered it and her uncleⒶ saw he was saved in purse and honor and everything, it was medicine for him, and he was a well man again or next to it before he was an hour older.

Well, the men looked that disgusted, you can't think—at least those that had gotten up the strike. It was a good deal of a pill, and Katzenyammer said so; and said—

“We've got to take it—but there'll be sugar on it. We've lost the game, but I'll not call off the strike nor let a man go to work till we've been paid waiting-wagesⒶ.”

The men applauded.

“What's waiting-wages?” inquired Doangivadam.

“Full wages for the time we've lost during the strike.”

“M-y—word! Well, if that isn't cheek! You're to be paid for time lost in trying to ruin the master! Meantime, where does he come in? Who pays him his waiting-time?”

The leadersⒶ tossed their heads contemptuously, and Binks said he wasn't interested in irrelevances.

So thereⒶ we were, you see—at a stand-still. There was plenty of work on hand, and the “takes” were on the hooks in the shop, but the men stood out; they said they wouldn't go near the place till their waiting-wages had been paid and the shop spiritually disinfected by the priest.Ⓐ The master was as firm; he said he would never submit to that extortion.

It seemed to be a sort of drawn battle, after all. The master had won the biggest end of the game, but the rest of it remained in the

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men's hands. This was exasperating and humiliating, but it was a fact just the same, and the men did a proper amount of crowing over it.

About this time Katzenyammer had a thought which perhaps had occurred to others, but he was the first to utter it. He said, with a sneer—

“A lot is being taken for granted—on not even respectable evidence, let alone proof. How do we know the contract has been completed and saved?”

It certainly was a hit, everybody recognized that; in fact you could call it a sockdolajer, and not be any out of the way. The prejudice against 44 was pretty strong, you know. Doangivadam was jostled—you could see it. He didn't know what to say—you could see that, too. Everybody had an expression on his face, now—a very exultant one on the rebel side, a very uncomfortableⒶ one on the other—with two exceptions: Katrina and 44; 44 hadn't any expression at all—his face was wood; but Katrina'sⒶ eyes were snapping. She said—

“I know what you mean, you ornery beer-jug, you Katzenyammer; you mean he's a liar. Well, then, why don't you go and see for yourself? Answer me that—why don't you?”

“I don't need to, if you want to know. It's nothing to me—I don't care what becomes of the contract.”

“Well, then, keep your mouth shut and mind your own business. You dasn't go, and you know it. Why, you great big mean coward, to call a poor friendless boy a liar, and then ain't man enough to go and prove it!”

“Look here, woman,Ⓐ if you—”

“Don't you call me woman, you scum of the earth!” and she strode to him and stood over him; “say it again and I'll tear you to rags!”

The bully murmured—

“I take it back,” which made many laugh.

KatrinaⒶ faced about and challenged the house to go and see. There was a visible shrinkage all around. No answer. Katrina looked at Doangivadam. He slowly shook his head,Ⓐ and said—

“I'll not deny it—I lack the grit.”

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Then Katrina stretched herself away up in the air and said—Ⓐ

“I'm under the protection of the Queen of Heaven, and I'll go myself! Come along, 44.”

They were gone a considerable time. When they returned Katrina said—

“He showed me everything and explained it all, and it's just exactly as he told you.”Ⓐ She searchedⒶ the house, face by face,Ⓐ with her eyes, then settled them upon Katzenyammer and finished: “Is there any polecat here that's got the sand to doubt it now?”

Nobody showed up.Ⓐ Several of our side laughed, and Doangivadam he laughed too, and fetched his fist down withⒶ a bangⒶ on the table like the Lord Chief Justice delivering an opinionⒶ,Ⓐ and said—

“That settles it!”