h:

"Senior-lieutenant Brettschneider," cried Major Schrader suddenly,
"please be good enough to come here for a moment."

Brettschneider advanced in haste: "You called me, sir?"

Schrader pointed to the placard. "A few words in elucidation of the
demonstration up yonder!" he said, shaking with suppressed laughter.

On the cardboard was neatly written in gigantic letters, coloured
artistically with red and blue: "A farewell greeting to
Senior-lieutenant Brettschneider!"

"A reminiscence of 'Ekkehard,'" said the colonel. "This Count Plettau
has read a certain amount. One must give the devil his due!"

But Major Schrader, who in his leisure hours occupied himself with
modern literature, who had seen "Die Weber" and "Seine Kleine" in
Berlin, and was even acquainted with "Rosenmontag," murmured softly to
himself; "A farewell to the regiment!"

CHAPTER XV

"Freedom, that I sing--"
(_Von Schenkendorf._)

In August Corporal von Frielinghausen was ordered to the Fire-workers'
College in Berlin. The young fellow made a good appearance in his neat
uniform; his figure had filled out and become more manly, and on his
upper lip a slight moustache had begun to show. But his bronzed visage
had retained the old frank boyish expression, and altogether he was a
fine-looking lad, after whom the women already turned to gaze.

After two years had passed, his friends received a formal notification
of his marriage; it was sent with the greetings of Baron Walther von
Frielinghausen and Baroness Minna Victoria von Frielinghausen, _nee_
Kettke.

Frielinghausen had obtained his discharge from the army. Minna Victoria
was the only child and heiress of the manager of a large place of
entertainment, and Baron Walther von Frielinghausen played the part of
manager in place of his father-in-law, the rather impossible Papa Willy
Kettke. He went about attired in an unimpeachable black coat, and with
a well-bred little bow would himself usher into their places any
specially distinguished-looking guests. Then he would stand with the
air of a young prince in the neighbourhood of the bar, and the waiters
and cooks, barmaids and kitchenmaids, had a mighty respect for him. He
waxed portly in figure, and Minna Victoria often felt herself obliged
to call him over the coals for paying too much attention to some one of
the elegant la