An' your wife? What's she goin' to say? You c'n go an' settle it with her, your honour. WEHRHAHN It will only last another minute, anyhow.--You tell us frankly, Mrs. Wolff--you know the whole village. Whom do you consider capable of the crime in question? Who could possibly have stolen the wood? MRS. WOLFF I can't tell you nothin' about that, your honour. WEHRHAHN And nothing suspicious came to your attention? MRS. WOLFF I wasn't even at home last night. I had to go over to Treptow to buy geese. WEHRHAHN At what time was that? MRS. WOLFF A little after ten. Mitteldorf, he was there when we started. WEHRHAHN And no team carrying wood met you? MRS. WOLFF No, nothin' like that. WEHRHAHN How about you, Mitteldorf, did you notice nothing? MITTELDORF [_After some thought._] No, I didn't notice nothin' suspicious. WEHRHAHN Of course not, I might have known that. [_To KRUEGER._] Well, where did you buy the wood? KRUEGER Why do you have to know that? WEHRHAHN You will kindly leave that to me. KRUEGER I naturally bought the wood from the department of forestry. WEHRHAHN Why naturally? I don't see that at all. There are, for instance, private wood yards. Personally I buy my wood from Sandberg. Why shouldn't you buy yours from a dealer? One really almost gets a better bargain. KRUEGER [_Impatiently._] I haven't any more time, your honour. WEHRHAHN What do you mean by that? Time? You have no time? Have you come to me, or do I come to you? Am I taking up your time or are you taking up mine? KRUEGER That's your business. That's what you're here for. WEHRHAHN Perhaps I'm your bootblack, eh? KRUEGER Perhaps I've stolen silver spoons! I forbid you to use that tone to me. You're not a corporal and I'm not a recruit. WEHRHAHN Well, that passes.... Don't shout so! KRUEGER It is you who do all the shouting. WEHRHAHN You are half deaf. It is necessary for me to shout. KRUEGER You shout all the time. You shout at every one who comes in here. WEHRHAHN I don't shout at any one. Be silent. KRUEGER You carry on as if you were heaven knows what! You annoy the whole place with your chicanery! WEHRHAHN I'm only making a beginning. I'll make you a good deal more uncomfortable before I get through. KRUEGER That doesn't make the slightest impression on me. You're a pretentious nobody--nothing else. You simply want to cut a big figure. As though you were the king himself, you.... WEHRHAHN I _am_ king in this place. KRUEGER [_Laughs heartily._] You'd better let that be. In my estimation you're nothing at all. You're nothing but an ordinary justice of the peace. In fact, you've got to learn to be one first. WEHRHAHN Sir, if you don't hold your tongue this minute.... KRUEGER Then, I suppose, you'll have me arrested. I wouldn't advise you to go to such lengths after all. You might put yourself into a dangerous position. WEHRHAHN