er your
Majesty desires."

The king looked at him searchingly.

"Really?" he said.

"Certainly, your Majesty. Only, if you will allow me to say so, not for
too long a period!"

"Very well, very well!--till you get the command of my household
brigade."

His Majesty was holding in his hand a silver cup full of corn-brandy.
"Your health, Falkenhein!" he said. "I look forward to having you by me
at court."

The appointment was gazetted after the man[oe]uvres on October 1.

There was certainly no officer in the regiment, even excepting Captain
Guentz and Senior-lieutenant Reimers, who did not hear of Falkenhein's
prospective departure with real regret. But that did not last long;
some one's departure must always be taking place in military life. How
else would room be made for successors? And besides, without this
appointment in the War Office, the colonel would in any case have
obtained his brigade in another two years, and the regiment would have
had to do without him. It was much more important now for the officers
to know who was to be their new chief.

Major Mohbrinck was appointed to command the regiment; he had hitherto
commanded the mounted division of the artillery guard. He was an
unknown quantity in the Eastern Division, for he belonged to a
different army-corps; but military gossip gave a not very favourable
account of him.

Little Dr. von Froeben received from an old chum of his, who was in the
mounted division, a telegram which ran thus: "Hymn No. 521." The hymn
indicated is the translation of the Ambrosian hymn of praise,
commencing: "Lord God, we praise thee; Lord God, we thank thee."

Well, this was a piece of subaltern wit.

It was more significant that Captain von Wegstetten had a letter from
his brother-in-law, the head of the first mounted battery, also written
in a remarkably Ambrosian vein. "I can tell you"--it ran--"we two heads
of batteries thank God on our knees that we are rid of Mohbrinck. My
joy thereat is no doubt damped somewhat by my brotherly sympathy for
you in having now to put up with that scourge of God. However--you can
keep calm, as I might have done. We sit too tight in our places for
him; thanks to our favourable relations with the powers that be.
Mohbrinck only seeks out absolutely defenceless victims whereon to
prove his capacity. He considers it a commander's chief task in time of
peace 'to purify the army from all incapable people.' In confidence, he
should himse