scornful laughter rolled like threatening thunder across the market-
place.

"You laugh," exclaimed the tax-collector, endeavoring to stifle his
rage; "I am glad you are so merry. To-morrow, perhaps, you will
laugh no longer; for I tell you, if you do not pay to-day the fine
imposed on you, I shall have it forcibly collected by the soldiers
at daybreak to-morrow morning."

"We must really pay the fine, then?" asked Anthony Wallner, with
feigned timidity. "You will not relent, then, Mr. Tax-collector? We
really must pay the heavy fine, because we had a little fun the
other day? For you must say yourself, sir, we really did no wrong."

"You did no wrong? You were in open insurrection. On the birthday of
your gracious master the king, instead of hanging out Bavarian
flags, as you had been ordered, you hung out Austrian flags
everywhere."

"No, Mr. Tax-collector, you did not see right; we hung out none but
Bavarian flags."

"That is false! I myself walked through the whole place, and saw
every thing with my own eyes. Your flags did not contain the
Bavarian colors, blue and white, but black and yellow, the Austrian
colors."

"Possibly they may have looked so," exclaimed Anthony Wallner, "but
that was not our fault. The flags were our old Bavarian flags: but
they were already somewhat old, the blue was faded and looked like