“I stand by Benjamin,” growled Gruesel, “the youngest and most capable of our circle; the one who produced the money while all the rest of us talked.”

“You never talked till now, Joseph,” said Ebearhard, still trying to ease the situation with a laugh, “and what you say is not only deplorably severe, but uttered, as I will show you, upon entirely mistaken grounds.  We did not, and do not, support Conrad Kurzbold in what he said at first.  Now you rate us as if we were no better than thieves.  Dishonest gamblers, you call us, and Lord knows what else, and then you threaten withdrawal.  I submit that your diatribe is quite undeserved.  We all condemn Kurzbold for censuring Roland’s generosity to the merchant, unanimously upholding Roland in that action, and have said so plainly enough.  What we object to is this:  Roland arrogates to himself power which he does not possess, of peremptorily expelling any member whose remarks displease him.  Surely you cannot support him in that any more than we.”

“Let us take one thing at a time,” resumed Greusel, “not forgetting from whom came the original provocation.  I must know where we stand.  I therefore move a vote of censure on Conrad Kurzbold for his unmerited attack upon our president anent his dealings with Herr Goebel.”

“I second that with great pleasure,” said Ebearhard.

“Now, as we cannot ask our leader to put that motion, I shall take the liberty of submitting it myself,” continued Greusel.  “All in favor of the vote of censure which you have heard, make it manifest by standing up.”

Every one arose except Roland, Gensbein, and Kurzbold.

“There, we have removed that obstacle to a clear understanding of the case, and before I formally deliver this vote of censure to Herr Kurzbold, I request him to reconsider his position, and of his own motion to make such delivery unnecessary.

“If it is the case that Roland assumes authority to expel whom he pleases from this guild, I shall not support him.”

“It is the case!  It is the case!” shouted several.

“Pardon me, comrades; I have the floor,” continued Greusel.  “I am not attempting oratory, but trying to disentangle a skein in which we have involved ourselves.  I wish to receive neither applause nor hissing until I have finished the business.  You say it is the case.  I say it is not.  Roland gave Herr Kurzbold the alternative either of apologizing or of paying over the money, so that it might be returned to the merchant.  As I understand the matter, our president does not insist on Kurzbold leaving the guild, but merely announces his own withdrawal from it.  You have allowed Kurzbold to put you in the position of being compelled to choose between himself and Roland.  If you are logical men you cannot pass a vote of censure on Kurzbold, and then choose him instead of Roland.  I therefore move a vote of confidence in our chief, the man who has produced the money, a thousand thalers