And all the others are nothing but consuls."
"Nothing but consuls! I beg you, Geert, how can you say 'nothing but
consuls?' Why, they are very high and grand, and, I might almost say,
awe-inspiring individuals. Consuls, I thought, were the men with the
bundles of rods, out of which an ax blade projected."
"Not quite, Effi. Those men are called lictors."
"Right, they are called lictors. But consuls are also men of very high
rank and authority. Brutus was a consul, was he not?"
"Yes, Brutus was a consul. But ours are not very much like him and are
content to handle sugar and coffee, or open a case of oranges and sell
them to you at ten pfennigs apiece."
"Not possible."
"Indeed it is certain. They are tricky little tradesmen, who are
always at hand with their advice on any question of business, when
foreign vessels put in here and are at a loss to know what to do. And
when they have given advice and rendered service to some Dutch or
Portuguese vessel, they are likely in the end to become accredited
representatives of such foreign states, and so we have just as many
consuls in Kessin as we have ambassadors and envoys in Berlin. Then
whenever there is a holiday, and we have many holidays here, all the
flags are hoisted, and, if we happen to have a bright sunny morning,
on such days you can see all Europe flying flags from our roofs, and
the star-spangled banner and the Chinese dragon besides."
"You are in a scoffing mood, Geert, and yet you may be right.
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