"To what are we to attribute the honour of this visit?" asked Pastor Hehrmann, somewhat coldly.
"My dear Pastor," said Normann, advancing towards him, looking him full in the face, "I can guess the cause of your coolness—the land is not what both of us expected. But should I have returned, if I had cheated you?"
"Well, hark ye," said Schmidt, who had hitherto stood by in astonishment, "we have no fault to find with the quality of the land—that's good enough; but there's not the least shadow of all the rest of what you talked about! You must excuse me, but it was all humbug!"
"I really cannot understand you, Doctor!" Becher interrupted the last speaker, who was getting rather excited; "how you can dare——"
"What's the use of all this palaver with the fellow!" exclaimed one of the Oldenburghers. "Devil burn him! he has sent us into the wilderness here, and now he shall see how it will fare with him, since he has been fool enough to follow us!"
"Will you listen to me, or not?" cried Dr. Normann, starting back, and shoving his right hand under his waistcoat. "Will you condemn a man without having heard him?—without allowing him to defend himself!"
"What is there to defend?" exclaimed the tailor. "The evil is done, and here we are in the midst of it!"
"Will you give me ten minutes' quiet audience," asked the Doctor, "and not interrupt me?"
"Speak on!" said Hehrmann.