He gave him a slight blow and turned away. Clement stood still; his cheeks grew suddenly pale. "You shall explain what you mean by these words," he said sternly.
"Not such a fool! ask others if you want to know. You will soon find one who has a greater fancy to preach to deaf ears than I have."
"What do you mean? Who are the others? Who dares to speak ill of her? Who?"
He held Wolf with a hand of iron. "Fool!" growled Wolf, angrily; "you spoil my walk with your tedious cross-questionings. Let me go free!"
"Not from this place do you move till you have given me an explanation;" said Clement, wild with rage.
"Indeed! Go and settle it with the sacristan's son if you happen to be jealous; poor devil! to go on with him till he was ready to jump out of his skin, and then to give him his marching orders. Pah! is that honourable? He complained to me, and I consoled him. She is just like other women, I told him, a coquette. Now she is trying it on upon me, but we know how to manage matters, and are not going to let our mouths be shut, and have other good fellows fall into the same snare."
"Retract your words!" shouted Clement, almost beside himself, shaking Wolf violently by the arm.
"Why? It is true, and I can prove it. Go--you are a child!"
"And you--are a scoundrel!"
"Oho! now it is your turn to eat your words."