pped his wine, and continued, rather more gently: "I firmly
believe that it required greater self-control in that senior-lieutenant
to refrain from putting his little finger into his mouth than to lead
his men under the heaviest fire against one of those Chinese clay and
mud walls."

Then he raised his voice again, as if ashamed of the rather gentler
tone of his last words, and concluded, harshly and shrilly: "Besides,
it really is a bad habit, putting one's fingers in one's mouth."

And again he sat silent and stiff, twirling the little silver wheel of
the knife-rest.

The feast then took the usual course.

After the table had been cleared some of the officers remained in the
mess-room sitting over their wine, while others went off to the reading
or smoking-rooms with a _schoppen_ of Pilsener. In the mess-room the
talk became more and more noisy, while in the adjoining rooms quieter
conversation was the rule. A couple of inveterate card-players started
a game of skat; and in the billiard-room Captain Madelung amused
himself alone, making cannon after cannon. At his first miss he put
down his cue and waited impatiently for the colonel's departure, that
being the signal for the official close of the festivity. Madelung left
almost immediately after Falkenhein, and the majority of the married
men followed his example.

At last only lieutenants remained, except Major Schrader and Captain
von Gropphusen. The one other senior officer, Captain Mohr, did not
count. He had not quitted his seat the whole evening, and still went on
persistently drinking with the assistant-surgeon, an exceedingly stout
man, with a face scarred by students' fights. The scars were glowing
now as if they would burst.

The subalterns could feel quite at their ease, for Schrader and
Gropphusen were no spoil-sports.

Manitius now sang his "Behueet dich Gott," rather unsteadily,
accompanied by Frommelt, who was quite tipsy. The song was a great
success, for the young _avantageur_ was overcome by emotion, and began
blubbering about a certain Martha whom he loved prodigiously, and whom
he must now abandon, because he would never be permitted to marry a
barmaid. On this Schrader suddenly tore open his uniform and offered
him nourishment from his hairy breast, and the boy sank weeping into
his arms.

At last the comedy grew wearisome. The _avantageur_ was sent off to
bed, and Frommelt had to play a cancan, to which Gropphusen and
Landsberg danced.