LITHUANIA AND ITS PEOPLE. 



107 



1 "I have told you already that you may do what you 

 like. I have no means of preventing you ; but I shall 

 certainly not do anything to assist you in the infliction 

 of an insult against which I protest. I have here my 

 English passport, bearing the signature and seal of Lord 

 Russell ; and, if you look at it, you will see that it requires, 

 in thv name of the Queen of England, all those whom it may 

 concern, to allow me to pass freely without let or hindrance, 

 and to afford me every assistance and protection of which I 

 may stand in need. Do you suppose that these words 

 have no meaning? or that I shall quietly suffer you or 

 any man to trample under foot the authority which they 

 assert ? " 



' " Let me see your passport," said he. I held it out 

 to him. He seized it, crumpled it up, and thrust it into 

 his pocket, adding in a contemptuous tone, " Well, now 

 you have it no longer." I remonstrated as strongly as 

 i could, against such cool audacious insolence ; but the 

 only notice he took of me was to draw the passport out 

 of his pocket again, straighten it, and place it among my 

 other papers, which he duly sealed up. 



' He then made a sign for two of the soldiers to draw 

 near and strip me of my coat and waistcoat and boots, 

 and examine carefully every part of them. Upon seeing 

 them peep into my boots, I told the Chef de police 

 that Englishmen were not in the habit of carrying money 

 or letters in their boots. " Oh, no," he said, " I have 

 been in England ; and know the ways of Englishmen 

 well enough." 



' " If that be the case, I think you must have learned 

 that no man in England is treated as a criminal, until 

 his crime be proved. Why have you not remembered 

 the lesson ? " 



' The work of undressing me being ended, the men 

 proceeded to repack our portmanteaus, and left me sit- 

 ting where I was, occasionally looking at me, and won- 

 dering apparently what was to happen, next. As soon 

 as everything was ready for removal, the Chef de police 

 turned round, and said to me, "Come, Sir, dress.'' 



