tant kisses.

Suddenly Rachel choked, and began to cough until the tears came into her
eyes, while smoke came through her nostrils. Under pretense of kissing
her, the count had blown a whiff of tobacco into her mouth. She did not
fly into a rage, and did not say a word, but she looked at her possessor
with latent hatred in her dark eyes.

They sat down to dinner. The commandant seemed delighted; he made Pamela
sit on his right, and Blondina on his left, and said, as he unfolded his
table napkin: "That was a delightful idea of yours, Captain."

Lieutenants Otto and Fritz, who were as polite as if they had been with
fashionable ladies, rather intimidated their neighbors, but Baron von
Kelweinstein gave the reins to all his vicious propensities, beamed,
made obscene remarks, and seemed on fire with his crown of red hair. He
paid them compliments in French from the other side of the Rhine, and
sputtered out gallant remarks, only fit for a low pot-house, from
between his two broken teeth.

They did not understand him, however, and their intelligence did not
seem to be awakened until he uttered nasty words and broad expressions,
which were mangled by his accent. Then all began to laugh at once, like
mad women, and fell against each other, repeating the words, which the
baron then began to say all wrong, in order that he might have the
pleasure of hearing them say dirty things. They gave him as much of that
stuff as he wanted, for they were drunk after the first bottle of wine,
and, becoming themselves once more, and opening the door to their usual
habits, they kissed the moustaches on the right and left of them,
pinched their arms, uttered furious cries, drank out of every glass, and
sang French couplets, and bits of German songs, which they had picked up
in their daily intercourse with the enemy.

Soon the men themselves, intoxicated by that female flesh which was
displayed to their sight and touch, grew very amorous, shouted and
broke the plates and dishes, while the soldiers behind them waited on
them stolidly. The commandant was the only one who put any restraint
upon himself.

Mademoiselle Fifi had taken Rachel onto his knees, and, getting excited,
at one moment kissed the little black curls on her neck, inhaling the
pleasant warmth of her body, and all the savor of her person, through
the slight space there was between her dress and her skin, and at
another he pinched her furiously through the material, and made h