"What? A minister? What minister? Who gave orders?" he said in his shrill, harsh voice.

" The road is not swept for the princess my daughter, but for a minister! For me, there are no ministers!" "Your honor, I thought..." "You thought!" shouted the prince, his words coming more and more rapidly and indistinctly.

" You thought!... Rascals! Blackguards!$JMR I'll teach you to think!" and lifting his stick he swung it and would have hit Alpatych, the overseer, had not the latter instinctively avoided the blow.

" Thought... Blackguards$JMR" shouted the prince rapidly.