Page:Man Who Laughs (Estes and Lauriat 1869) v2.djvu/58

38 "I was ignorant of the fact," murmured Ursus. "I thank you for informing me. One does not know all the beauties of the law."

"Take care of yourself."

"Religiously," said Ursus.

" We know what you are about."

"As for me," thought Ursus, "that is more than I always know myself."

"We could send you to prison."

"I see that perfectly, gentlemen."

"You cannot deny your infractions nor your encroachments."

"My philosophy asks pardon."

"Great audacity has been attributed to you."

"That is quite a mistake."

"It is said that you have cured the sick."

"I am the victim of calumny."

The three pairs of eyebrows which were so horribly fixed on Ursus contracted. The three wise faces drew near to one another, and whispered. Ursus had a vision of a shadowy fool's cap sketched above those three august heads. The low whispering of the trio was of some minutes' duration, during which time Ursus felt all the chill and all the scorch of agony. At length Minos, who was president, turned to him and said angrily:

"Go away!"

Ursus felt something like Jonas when he was leaving the belly of the whale.

Minos continued: "You are discharged."

Ursus said to himself: "They won't catch me at this again. Good-bye, medicine!" And he added, in his innermost heart: "Henceforth I will carefully allow them to die."

Bent double, he bowed to everything,—to the doctors, the busts, the tables, the walls,—and retiring backwards