CHAPTER II


They were met in the street outside by a large body of their
fellow-citizens, who had accompanied them to the Palace, and who had
been spending the time since their departure in listening by turns at
the keyhole of the front-door. But as the Hall of Audience was at the
other side of the Palace, and cut off from the front-door by two other
doors, a flight of stairs, and a long passage, they had not heard very
much of what had gone on inside, and they surrounded the three spokesmen
as they came out, and questioned them eagerly.

"Has he taken off the tax on jam?" asked Ulric the smith.

"What is he going to do about the tax on mixed biscuits?" shouted Klaus
von der Flue, who was a chimney-sweep of the town and loved mixed
biscuits.

"Never mind about tea and mixed biscuits!" cried his neighbour, Meier
of Sarnen. "What I want to know is whether we shall have to pay for
keeping sheep any more."

"What _did_ the Governor say?" asked Jost Weiler, a practical man,
who liked to go straight to the point.

The three spokesmen looked at one another a little doubtfully.

"We-e-ll," said Werner Stauffacher at last, "as a matter of fact, he
didn't actually _say_ very much. It was more what he _did_,