clamouring and petitioning on his knees made
Trautvetter suddenly realise how near he himself stood to a similar
degradation.

The next morning he gave the sergeant-major back his notes-of-hand.

Heppner coloured. "Why is this?" he asked. "Perhaps I shall be able to
pay them up."

But Trautvetter answered quietly, "No, never mind! I only won the money
from you in play, and gambling debts are not legally reclaimable. I
ought never to have lent you the money in the first place." Then
suddenly Trautvetter assumed a severely respectful manner, and added,
"I should like to ask you something, sir; and that is that you would
promise me never to play again."

Heppner looked at him, astonished. Was all this irksome dependence on
one of his subordinates, this degradation before the whole battery,
really to come to an end? He could scarcely believe that any one could
be so generous. But he could see that the one-year volunteer was in
earnest, not simply making fun of him.

"Yes, I promise you, Trautvetter," he said firmly. "I will not play any
more."

And for the moment he meant what he said; he felt that this was the
right minute for making good resolutions and turning over a new leaf.

Some days later Wegstetten asked him: "How is the one-year volunteer
Trautvetter behaving? I have been quite pleased with him on duty these
last few days."

And Heppner answered: "He has been much more steady, sir; there has
been no fault to find with him."

The commander of the battery nodded, well pleased.

"You see, sergeant," he said, "my plan has been a success. I think we
will let him out of barracks again. You can tell him so."

Trautvetter had also returned all his notes-of-hand to his other
debtor, Trumpeter-sergeant Henke.

The cornet-player did not feel constrained to any special feeling of
gratitude for this. He had never had the smallest intention of repaying
the money, some hedge-lawyer having advised him of the fact that
gambling debts were not legally recoverable.

Why therefore should he be grateful?

Lisbeth, on the contrary, his pretty fair-haired wife, was profoundly
touched by Trautvetter's generosity.

"Dear, dear!" she sighed, "what a kind good man that volunteer must be,
to give away such a lot of money!"

The trumpeter laughed at her: "Silly goose!" he said, "haven't I told
you that they were gambling debts, and he could never have claimed
them?"

"Well," remarked Lisbeth, "there were others too.