“Well, I say that still,” answered Feklitus, stoutly.  “But I’ll have fraternity with those I choose, and not with every one that comes along, as you do.”

“Ho, ho! that’s it, is it?” cried Oscar, still more furious.  “What do you understand, then, by equality?”

“Just what you do,” retorted Feklitus.  “I mean that we all have equal rights to do our own way; I don’t care what other people do as long as they let me alone to act as I choose.”

“Oh, you’re a fine Swiss!” cried Oscar, screaming with excitement.  “Much you must know about the history of your country!  Do you know what you would be doing now if it had not been for the brave fellows from the small cantons?  You’d be crouching before the tyrant’s hat and licking the dust from his shoes!”

At this point the Fink boys joined with great liveliness in the dispute, and supported Oscar’s side so energetically that Feklitus became excited in his turn, and shouted that he knew the history of Switzerland as well as they did, and that he had always been at the head of his class in school.  The quarrel grew louder and louder, and above all Oscar’s voice rose the loudest, crying angrily:—­

“We will show you by and by, when we are old enough, what fraternity and equality and love of our country means.  We will found a society for the whole of Switzerland, and every year we will celebrate the Feast of the Foundation, in which all the inhabitants of all the cantons shall take part; and at the feasts they shall sit in the order in which they joined the society.  The first members shall sit at the head, and then you will see who they are!”

“Yes; then you’ll see!” screamed the Finks, and Feklitus raised his voice still more furiously:—­

“Well, you won’t come anywhere near the first, you St. Gall fellows, not by a long piece!”

Just here the door was thrown wide-open by a very elegant waiter, who looked anxiously at the windows, as if he was afraid they had been broken in the fray.  Then he placed himself in the door-way with a very polite air, as if to intimate that he would there await the close of the entertainment.

Oscar found it quite time to lower his voice, and to invite his friends to go with him to the place chosen for the Festival.  The polite spectator waiting at the door seemed to exercise a subduing influence upon all the young patriots; for they became suddenly silent, and followed Oscar readily.  He stopped at Rosemount only to fetch his banner, and then the boys went on.

When they reached the hill where the windmill stood, the banner was unrolled and admired.  The garland of Alpine roses was beautiful with its bright colors and green leaves.  On the other side Elsli had neatly sewed a large circle of paper, on which Oscar had inscribed his favorite motto, in large, legible letters.

The afternoon sun shone brightly on the hill and on the great sails of the windmill.  It was a fine place for a festival.  The Fink brothers began to dig a hole for the flag-staff; and Oscar directed them, and when they were ready he held the staff upright while they filled in the earth around it, and piled up the heavy stones.  Feklitus looked on.