About eight o'clock
In the centre of the court stood a long black table , surrounded with all sorts of pails and various utensils , and near it a small one with writing materials and a chair before it . Meanwhile the body was left on the bier beside the table and covered with a horse-blanket . A great crowd of people , among them many women , and even little children , flocked into the building in a very short time , thronged about the bier , the black table , and Panna , who was leaning against it , carrying on a low , eager hum of conversation till it seemed as though countless swarms of bumble-bees were buzzing through the air . About eight o'clock two carriages drove up , from which descended five dusty gentlemen , dressed in the fashion of the city , and a servant . These were the examining magistrate , the prosecuting attorney , the district physician , a lawyer , and a clerk of the court , then the beadle , who carried a box containing the dissecting instruments . In the absence of the parish-magistrate -- it was remembered that Abonyi held this office -- the gentlemen were received by the village notary -LRB- parish clerk -RRB- and ushered into the interior of the building , where an abundant breakfast awaited them . Meanwhile the people were dismissed from the courtyard , and as the mere request did not induce them to move fast enough , were urged forward with gentle force , after which the gate was closed and bolted on the inside .