Waiting for the Barbarians

The Magistrate is promptly brought by the guards to his office where a man is sitting at his desk rummaging through the magistrate’s folders and records. The Magistrate realizes the man is a warrant officer of the Third Bureau. The Magistrate speaks to the man, and when the latter finally answers, he accuses the Magistrate of consorting with the enemy. The Magistrate responds by claiming that the settlement is at peace and that the nomadic attack that is apparently imminent is no cause for alarm. This does not persuade the officer, whose name we learn is Mandel. The Magistrate is subsequently imprisoned, but he initially sees this as something of a liberation from his allegiance to the empire which he has gained increasing contempt for since Colonel Joll’s initial visit.

The conditions of the Magistrate’s captivity are at first tolerable. He holds fast to the idea that he will get his say in a court, that law and order will prevail, and that he will be able to plead his innocence. After some time spent as a prisoner, he is once again brought to Mandel where he pleads his case and says that he was returning

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