Page:The Jail, Experiences in 1916.pdf/58

 He had. Signed by the military commander, and I was arrested unter paragraph 65a.

"Doctor, have you a manual of law here? Please find out for me what that is."

The Doctor turned over the leaves, 65a,—offending against the interests of public order,—the penalty from two years upwards.

"You must obtain a counsel, perhaps Dr. Pressburger" remarked the secretary, "he is rather expensive."

"A counsel? What for? Not a bit of it."

"But allow me to—"

"My dear doctor, you do not understand my situation. A poet cannot be concerned about a trial, a poet has nothing to hush up, a poet must be his own counsel."

"Well, think the matter over, a military court is no joke."

"We shall see. And now, my guardian angel," I said turning to the detective, "let us go."

And we went to the police headquarters. I looked at the May sunshine, which covered the streets, the houses, the trees trembling in the air, and thought and thought. What have they against me…? Two years… Military court… Family… Friends, but come what may, the portion of national honour which I now possess must not be sullied.

At the police headquarters various formalities had to be seen to. Documents or something of that kind. I had to wait.

They assigned me a small room where a fat man was sitting at a table writing with a very squeaky pen. From time to time he took a deep breath, pondered and went on writing. Another human machine, it occurred to me.

After a while the constable came in. If I wanted any lunch, he