But when the fool who played the leadsman approached the balcony,
he said a few words with a provincial accent, intended to cast
ridicule on the leadsman, who was born in one of the provinces.
It was a silly thing to do, for every man speaks the dialect which
his mother has taught him; and it is nothing at all to be ashamed
of.

Everybody laughed, more from politeness than anything else, for
the entertainment was gratuitous, but the girl was hurt, for she
hated to see her future husband laughed at. The leadsman frowned
and grew silent. He no longer enjoyed the festivities. But he
carefully hid his real feelings, for otherwise he would have been
laughed at for a fool unable to appreciate a joke. But still worse
things happened, for his impersonator danced and cut all sorts of
ridiculous antics, in the endeavour to act the leadsman's name in
dumb charade; first his surname, which he had inherited from his
father, and then his Christian name, which his mother had chosen
for him at his baptism. These names were sacred to him, and although
there may have been a little boastful sound about them, he had
always scorned to change them.

He wanted to rise from his chair and leave, but his sweetheart
caught hold of his hand, and he stayed where he was.

When, the procession was over and everybody who had been sitting
on the balcony had risen, the great man laid a friendly hand on
the girl's shoulder, and said, with his kindly smile:--

"They have a strange way here of celebrating their heroes, one