"A Frenchman?" asked Freier. "Yes," said Friedrich; "a French chasseur." "A chasseur?" asked Freier. "Yes, in a green uniform," said Friedrich. "On horseback?" asked Freier. "No, on foot," said Friedrich. "What does he want?" asked Freier? "What does he want?" asked Friedrich. "_He_ doesn't want anything; but _I_ want to speak to him." "What have you got to speak about to a Frenchman?" "Dumouriez!" said Friedrich. "What business is that of yours, you blockhead? I only ask you if you have seen such a fellow?" "In a green uniform?" asked Freier. "Yes," said Friedrich. "With a shako?" "No, with his head bare." "With his head bare! And this morning in the rain?" "Yes, you hear, I tell you so," cried Friedrich, angrily. "Just answer me simply: have you seen the fellow or have you not?" "Wait a moment. Isn't to-day Thursday?" "Yes," said Friedrich. "Well, then it was not to-day; it was last Monday, and there were a lot of them, but in blue uniforms, and on horseback; and my boy, Zamel, has gone to-day to Stemhagen with our team for them." "Freier," said Friedrich, "you should not have sent your team to Stemhagen; you can make a better use of it yourself, especially when you've got to give answers to people." "How so?" asked Freier. "And Freier," pursued Friedrich; "I know what would be a good employment for you--driving crabs to Berlin; a fellow like you would get on well at that." "What do you mean?" asked Freier, more and more mystified. "Oh, nothing," said Friedrich. "And now, good-morning, Freier. And if the Frenchman I am looking for should come by, just tell him, that I said, that you said, that your great grandmother had told you, when he said what he said, that you should say, that I had said he was not to call you an ass. And now good-bye, Freier." "What?" said Freier, following him with his eyes as he went along the village, and turning round in his hands a stone of some thirty pounds weight; "What? _He_ said, that _I_ said, that _you_ said, that _I_ should say, he should not call me an ass? The cursed Prussian rascal! That's the way he always does." And he took the stone and threw it, with all his might--amongst the rest. Friedrich goes further. Bailiff Besserdich looks out at his doorway. "Bailiff, have you seen a Frenchman pass by here this morning?" "A Frenchman?" asked the bailiff. "Well, they are not so rare just now as all that; but this morning, do you say?" "What, are _you_ going to begin asking questions now?" said Friedrich. "I would rather tell you the story at once; it's the quickest plan." So he told him the story. "And," he concluded, "I must have him."