Page:The Jail, Experiences in 1916.pdf/70

 "Here is your letter which you wrote when you were arrested. What is there in it? And who is Josefína Procházková?"

"She is my servant, and I asked her to send me my clean linen to the jail."

"Good, I will have it forwarded. Your case is a very simple one, a matter of a few days; we will investigate your statements on Friday or Saturday,—today is Tuesday,—I will have you sent for and we shall proceed to hear the case on its merits. You will then obtain counsel to defend you."

"I shall not have counsel!"

"Why not?"

"There is nothing to defend. The matter is clear. I wrote and printed such and such a thing, here it is, I alone can explain it,—if there is anything punishable in it, punish me."

"But you must have counsel."

"No. You take a man and lock him up,—I did not ask you to do so,—and then you say: have a counsel. I have nothing to hush up, and I permit nobody to twist and turn my verses. What I have written, I have written."

"As you like. I will now read to you the report of today's cross-examination."

"There is no need, I have heard it."

"I will read it through. You will sign."

He read it. I signed.

Then he wrote on a piece of paper how long the cross-examination had lasted, and handed it and me to the defence-corps men.

And again we went through the strange streets. A defence-corps man in front, a defence-corps man behind, one two, one two, I with short civilian steps between them.

It is impossible for them to keep me here longer than the end of