ys ago, probably for a last
painful attempt to preserve appearances. Gropphusen himself would be
leaving the garrison for the gun-practice, and she would at least
remain there during that time; but she did not go out, and nobody had
yet seen her face to face.

Reimers was possessed with a restless impatience to meet the woman he
loved; he had wasted too much time already to brook delay.

Then again he was thrown into dull inaction by an agonising doubt. How
could he think of approaching Hannah Gropphusen--he, a marked man, a
condemned man? He set it before himself a thousand times, and dinned it
into his own ears: he desired nothing, he wanted nothing but to be
allowed to live in her soothing presence.

He racked his brains to discover a pretext for visiting her but could
find none. He directed his goings from day to day so as to pass by the
Gropphusen villa as often as possible. He sauntered near the house by
the hour together, possessed by the foolish hope of catching sight of
his beloved. Perhaps she would come to the window to breathe the fresh
air of the night, to cool her burning forehead in the soft breeze, or
to refresh her tear-stained eyes with a sight of the starry heaven.

He waited in vain.

On the morning of their march to the practice-camp, Captain von
Gropphusen, the head of the second battery, was missing.

Major Lischke sent his adjutant to the Gropphusens' villa to ask for
news. The lieutenant came back with the answer that Captain von
Gropphusen had as usual gone to town the evening before, and had not
yet returned.

Lischke grumbled. "The dissipated scoundrel has missed the early train,
of course. He might at least have telegraphed."

Naturally Gropphusen could not be waited for. Senior-lieutenant
Frommelt took charge of the battery, and the regiment set off on its
march.

But even at their first halting-place the missing man failed to put in
an appearance, and now came some enlightenment as to his proceedings.

The police had made a raid upon the club to which Gropphusen belonged.
Rumours were spread abroad of unlawful and immoral practices carried on
there. A certain number of the members, Gropphusen among them, had
managed to escape; the rest were already in custody.

Thereanent the regiment received an official letter, in which it was
pointed out to the authorities that Captain von Gropphusen was accused
of desertion, and was to be reported at once in case of his
reappearance. This