Hungary . Then a gentleman spoke tome, advising me to keep wideawake, as at anymoment the soldiers might have to clear thesquare. The shops were, of course, all closed, but thehotels were crowded, and at the door of each playeda band, while crowds of peasants crushed in andout, or strained for bundles of cigars, held aloftby half-suffocated agents. A peasant, white with fury and wet with perspi-ration, struggled in the clutches of two canvassers. What has he done V I again asked a Jew. * Heis drunk and wants to go over to the other has been paid for his vote, was the reply. Towards no
Hungary . Then a gentleman spoke tome, advising me to keep wideawake, as at anymoment the soldiers might have to clear thesquare. The shops were, of course, all closed, but thehotels were crowded, and at the door of each playeda band, while crowds of peasants crushed in andout, or strained for bundles of cigars, held aloftby half-suffocated agents. A peasant, white with fury and wet with perspi-ration, struggled in the clutches of two canvassers. What has he done V I again asked a Jew. * Heis drunk and wants to go over to the other has been paid for his vote, was the reply. Towards noon the heat became intense. Noiseand dancing continued unabated, and the smell ofdrink became sickening. I joined the ladies at aplace appointed, when Frau Deutsch — whosescheme, it appeared afterwards, had been to obtaina free meal—led us to the best hotel. From a balcony, overlooking a courtyard full ofpeasants devouring a generous dinner served onmany deal tables, we observed the proceedings. MISKO. VAZSECZ AND A PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION 65 Men only, as voters, were seated, but they gavethe food with which they were served to theirwives standing by, who secreted it, and then theycalled for more. This was repeated over and overagain, and only excited our amusement; but whenwe saw some women coolly adding knives, forks,and even plates, to their hidden store, I felt obligedto tell a head-waiter what was going on. * Oh,said he, * it does not matter. We are always paida liberal allowance for theft. The Notarys wife had left us early in the dayand I found it hard to convince our remainingcompanion that, even on election-day, we objectedto obtain food under false pretences. To her—quite honest generally—all seemed fair at such atime, and she would have obtained orders for usto dine as helpers in the great fight. Having eaten, we said good-bye to our landlady,and hoped to be able to explore the town, butfound that every street was barred by soldiers,with orders to let no one b
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