That answers the question of the constitution of the House.  Now as to the House’s curious manners.  The manners exhibited by this convention of Doctors were not at that time being tried as a wholly new experiment.  I will go back to a previous sitting in order to show that the deputies had already had some practice.

There had been an incident.  The dignity of the House had been wounded by improprieties indulged in in its presence by a couple of the members.  This matter was placed in the hands of a committee to determine where the guilt lay and the degree of it, and also to suggest the punishment.  The chairman of the committee brought in his report.  By this it appeared that in the course of a speech, Deputy Schrammel said that religion had no proper place in the public schools—­it was a private matter.  Whereupon Deputy Gregorig shouted, ‘How about free love!’

To this, Deputy Iro flung out this retort:  ‘Soda-water at the Wimberger!’

This appeared to deeply offend Deputy Gregorig, who shouted back at Iro, ‘You cowardly blatherskite, say that again!’

The committee had sat three hours.  Gregorig had apologised.  Iro explained that he didn’t say anything about soda-water at the Wimberger.  He explained in writing, and was very explicit:  ’I declare upon my word of honour that I did not say the words attributed to me.’

Unhappily for his word of honour, it was proved by the official stenographers and by the testimony of several deputies that he did say them.

The committee did not officially know why the apparently inconsequential reference to soda-water at the Wimberger should move Deputy Gregorig to call the utterer of it a cowardly blatherskite; still, after proper deliberation, it was of the opinion that the House ought to formally censure the whole business.  This verdict seems to have been regarded as sharply severe.  I think so because Deupty Dr. Lueger, Burgermeister of Vienna, felt it a duty to soften the blow to his friend Gregorig by showing that the soda-water remark was not so innocuous as it might look; that, indeed, Gregorig’s tough retory was justifiable—­and he proceeded to explain why.  He read a number of scandalous post-cards which he intimated had proceeded from Iro, as indicated by the handwriting, though they were anonymous.  Some of them were posted to Gregorig at his place of business and could have been read by all his subordinates; the others were posted to Gregorig’s wife.  Lueger did not say—­but everybody knew —­that the cards referred to a matter of town gossip which made Mr. Gregorig a chief actor in a tavern scene where siphon-squirting played a prominent and humorous part, and wherein women had a share.

There were several of the cards; more than several, in fact; no fewer than five were sent in one day.  Dr. Lueger read some of them, and described others.  Some of them had pictures on them; one a picture of a hog with a monstrous snout, and beside it a squirting soda-siphon; below it some sarcastic doggerel.