The humane Master Janos did not fail to release his captive. The poor man began at his prison door to declaim the redeeming words of "Long live Prince Windischgrätz! success to glorious Austria!"
Master Janos laid his hand upon his sword, as if to protect himself from this incorrigible man.
"What! was it not enough to imprison you twice? Have you not yet learned what you should say? Have the kindness to step in here."
And for the third time they entered the narrow chamber.
Instead of the meagre, black gentleman, it was again the fat, red-faced gentleman before whom our victim was called in question for his repeated crime.
"Obstinate traitor!" he exclaimed; "are you aware of the extent of your offence, and that if I did not condemn you to an imprisonment of three months on my own responsibility, instead of giving you up to justice, you would be cut into four quarters, as you deserve?"
The unhappy nailsmith must needs rejoice, in his extreme terror, at the mildness of the punishment.
"But what should I have said?" he asked his lenient judge, in a voice of despair.
"What should you have said? why, Success to the republic! Success to democracy! Success to revolution!"
The poor man repeated the three injunctions, and promising faithfully to attend to them, he resigned himself patiently to a new lease of his dark abode.