“Vewy good! You thall not thay that I am untrue to my printhipleth. What have you to thay faw yourthelf?” “I can only assure you, sir, that it was not my intention to do anything disrespectful. I was only exercising myself in the art of mimicry.” “It would have been better to exerthithe yourthelf in Latin thtyle and in Greek compothition.” “I do that also, Herr Professor. But aside from those branches of knowledge, art also has her privileges.” “Thertainly, I have never denied that. Do you pretend to call your nonthenthe, art? It ith an art that you will never be able to live on.” “There’s no knowing, Herr Professor!” “Be thtill, I tell you! If you go on at this wate you will be shipwecked soonaw or lataw in life. Knipke, go and see why Heppenheimer doeth not come back with the _pedell_.” “Oh, just this once, Herr Professor,” whispered Rumpf coaxingly. “You might let me off just this once.” “No indeed! You go to _cawcer_. But we will not let thith dithagreeable affair intewupt our work. Hutzler, begin the wepetition.” “Herr Professor, I was ill when we translated this. Here is my certificate.” “Indeed! So you were ill, ath uthual. Do you know, Hutzler, it stwikes me that you are oftener ill than well.” “Unfortunately, Herr Professor, my delicate constitution----” “Delicate? Eh, delicate? You don’t thay tho, Hutzler! I with every man under the sun were ath delicate ath you are. Lathy, that’s what you are, but not delicate----” “Lazy? When I have a high fever you don’t expect me to----” “I know all that! Dare thay you dwank too much beer. You twanthlate, Gildemeister.” “Absent!” cried a number of voices at once. Samuel shook his head sadly. “Doeth nobody know what ith the matter with Gildemeister?” “He has a cold!” replied one of the lads. “Cold! When I wath hith age I never had a cold. But why don’t Knipke and Heppenheimer come back? Schwarz, you go and thee if you can’t find them, but mind you come wight back!” Schwarz went, and returned after ten minutes with the _pedell_ and the others. “Herr Inaddler was occupied with papering his wall,” said Heppenheimer in a respectful tone; “he had to change his coat.” “Ah, indeed! And doeth it take you half-an-hour to do that? Inaddlaw, theemth to me you are beginning to neglect your offith!” “I beg your pardon, Herr Professor; the young gentleman came to my door just two minutes ago.” “Oh!” cried three indignant voices. “Well, it theemth witheth to let thith matter wetht! Here, take Wumpf to the _cawcer_. Wumpf, you will behave yourself and not be continually calling the _pedell_ ath you did the latht time you were there. Inaddlaw, don’t let anything induthe you to let him come out into the hall.” “Very good, Herr Professor.” Wilhelm Rumpf bit his lip, turned to go, and disappeared with Inaddler in the dim twilight of the hall. “What is it you did, Herr Rumpf?” asked the _pedell_ sympathetically, as they were passing upstairs. “Nothing.”