“3. You want to force that charming and lovely girl to marry an objectionable, crooked tailor.
“We give you a week to comply with our conditions.
There was a moment’s painful silence. There it was, in great fat round letters—“BISMARCK.” There was no possible doubt about it.
“The confounded low _Schwerenöther_ of a Prussian!” yelled Holzert at last, crimson with passion, and quivering on his little bow-legs. “Declare war, Bloemstein! declare war!” he went on. “Let them come, the low _canaille!_ we’ll blow up the mine as soon as they get on top of it, and then there’ll be an end of them!” and suddenly turning to the Minister of War, he added, “Bauer, how many men have you?”
“A hundred and twenty-three, counting the band,” was the answer.
“That’s not one to a thousand,” suggested Conrads; “and besides that, we’ve got the war with Holland on our hands,—it won’t do—it won’t do! What do you think yourself, Bauer?”
“What I think? I think you’re a coward, Conrads, to talk so—a coward, do you understand? Conquer or die, that’s our cry!”
“Yes, but we can’t conquer, and dying isn’t much good. Holzert won’t get his Marieke by it if we do!”
“But in that case the Prussian pig-dog won’t have her either!” shouted Holzert, banging the table with his fists.
At this, however, Bloemstein’s paternal feelings revolted. His daughter, his pretty Marieke—dead! No, he would rather see her married to the Prussian doctor, for the Prussians were not so bad after all! Nay, they even knew how to appreciate beauty—had not Bismarck himself written that she was a “charming, lovely girl”?
Klessens also was for peace, and so was Marbaise. “Against 150,000 Prussians,” said the latter, “and a few thousand Hollanders on top of those, you, Bauer, with your hundred and twenty men——”
“A hundred and twenty-three!” interrupted the commander of the Altenet forces.
“Well, a hundred and twenty-three, if you like—but you can’t do anything with them!”
A great deal more talking and shouting took place, and at last the President determined to end the debate by putting the question to the vote.
“War!” yelled Holzert. “Peace!” “Peace!” “Peace!” muttered Conrads, Marbaise, and Klessens, in succession.
“War!” thundered Bauer; and “I’m for peace,” said the President in conclusion.