justice was really something epic. They black-
guarded one another like rag-pickers. Of course,
the captain denies, with many oaths, that he has
ever thrown stones or anything else into Lanlaire's
garden; it is Lanlaire who throws stones into his.
"Have you witnesses? Where are your wit- nesses? Dare to produce witnesses, screams the captain.
"Witnesses? rejoins Monsieur; " there are the stones, and all the dirty things with which you have been continually covering my land. There are the old hats, and the old slippers, that I pick up every day, and that everybody recognizes as having belonged to you."
"You lie."
"You are a scoundrel, a drunken rake."
But, it being impossible for Monsieur to bring admissible and conclusive testimony, the justice of the peace, who, moreover, is the captain's friend, invites Monsieur to withdraw his complaint.
"And for that matter, permit me to say to you," concluded the magistrate, “it is highly im- probable, it is quite inadmissible, that a valiant soldier, an intrepid officer, who has won all his stripes on fields of battle, amuses himself in throwing stones and old hats upon your land, like a small boy."
"Egad!" vociferates the captain, "this man is an infamous Dreyfusard. He insults the army."
