"'A good point,' said the Judge, nodding pleasantly at Gorgonzola.
"'But you have never published anything?' said the lawyer in a manner so impressive as to affect the jury.
"'No,' said Gorgonzola. 'No, I have never published anything; but that is because I am not a publisher. If I were a publisher, I should publish. As I am only an author, I merely authorize.'
"'Do not authors frequently publish?' asked the lawyer.
"'Often,' returned Gorgonzola. 'But I am not of that kind. It is said by some who seem to know that the best books are still unwritten, much less published. I am writing one of the unwritten and unpublished books.'
"'Yet you have written something?' suggested the Judge, who admired the modest demeanor of Gorgonzola.
"'Yes,' said Gorgonzola. 'I have written the first paragraph of my new book.'
"'Then,' said the Judge, 'the entry is correct. If he has written the first paragraph, or even the first word of his new novel, he is an author, and I so decide. Next case.'
"So," said Hans, "it was decided that Gorgonzola was properly entered as an author on the pages of the Schnitzelhammerstein Directory, and the Board of Trade was compelled to pay for it. That," Hans added, "was twenty years ago."
"As long ago as that, eh?" said I. "And was Gorgonzola's novel published later?"