Then Ráby hastened homewards, feeling he had ordered his affairs for the best. On the return journey he arranged to reach Pesth in time to attend the meeting of the County Assembly. First, he proceeded to the Assembly House to look out certain documents. The first person he met was the pronotary, Tárhalmy. Tárhalmy was more friendly, yet more gruff than ever. He called Ráby into his room, and when they were alone, exclaimed: "You come at the right time, my friend, for we have already cited you as a 'runaway noble,' as the legal phrase has it." "Cited me! What in the world for, I should like to know?" "Yes, my friend, you are impeached. And guess wherefore! They say you are Gyöngyöm Miska himself, and actually dare to accuse you of robbing the Jew Rotheisel three days ago in the Styrian forest." Ráby hardly knew whether to laugh or to be indignant at such a charge. "But surely that is a very poor joke!" he protested. "I quite agree that it is. But they have only just brought the accusation, and you can easily get out of it by proving an _alibi_." Ráby reddened in spite of himself. "But I cannot lower myself so far as to disprove so preposterous an allegation," he said. "Besides, you have only to call Abraham Rotheisel to give testimony that it was not I who robbed him. I shall prove no _alibi_." "My dear fellow, I know you won't. Simply, because you won't own up to where you have been for three days past, and the person who could prove your _alibi_ could not be called as a witness. I shall not be the judge: you know that the chief notary only acts as referee of the tribunal in such cases. You will naturally never confess where you have been these last three days. But there are people who want to know, and that is the serious side of the jest." "Rotheisel will be quite ready to disprove it; he knows me well enough." "I know it. But the testimony of a Jew only counts in our law when he is sworn." "Won't Rotheisel swear?" "I am not so sure. The Jew very rarely takes an oath if he can help it. The Talmud makes it very difficult for him. But you can depend upon it, Abraham Rotheisel will be as anxious as possible to clear you from such an absurd accusation, directly he hears of it." "He is a good kind of man," said Ráby, "and I am certain that he will swear." "I hope he may. But anyhow, it will be decided to-day, as the tribunal is sitting even now." "And shall I have to stand in the dock?" said Ráby anxiously. "Yes, I am afraid you must. So I advise you to stay here and see the business through." "With your permission I will first write a letter." "Pardon me, dear friend, but in this room you may neither write nor despatch a letter." "Am I then a prisoner already?"