I must also mention that we were in want of a parish road to Hangeviller; that we had been promised a pair of church-bells, and the _Glandee_, or right of feeding our hogs upon the acorns in autumn; and that we were aware that all the villages which voted the wrong way got nothing, whilst the others--in consideration of the good councillors they had sent up, either to the arrondissement or the department--might always reckon upon a little money from the tax-collector for the necessities of their parish. Monsieur le Sous-prefet had pointed out these advantages to me; and naturally a good mayor will inform his subordinates. I did so. Our deputies, our councillors-general, our councillors of the arrondissement, were all on the right side! By these means we have already gained the right to the dead leaves and our great wash-houses. We only sought our own good, and we much preferred seeing other villages pay the ministers, the senators, the marshals, the bishops, and the princes, to paying them ourselves. So that all that Cousin George could say to us about the interest of all, and the welfare of the nation, made not the least impression upon us. I remember that that very day of the Plebiscite, when it was already known that we had all voted right, and that we should get our two bells with the parish road--I remember that my cousin and I had, after supper, a great quarrel, and that I should certainly have put him out, if it had not been he. We were taking our _petit verre_ of _kirsch_, smoking our pipes, with our elbows on the table; my wife and Gredel had already gone to bed, when all at once he said to me: "Listen to me, Christian. Save the respect I owe you as mayor, you are all a set of geese in this village, and it is a very fortunate thing that I am come here, that you may have, at least, one sensible man among you." I was going to get angry, but he said: