tinue of servants--and he has not to pay a penny for
it. Only one thing troubles his reflections, the thought that the whole
fairy tale may vanish as suddenly as it came, and that he may relapse
into obscurity. What if the enemy were to break through? But he
reassures himself. All is going well. The great enemy offensive, which
has been expected for the last three months, and which actually began
twenty-four hours ago, hurls itself vainly against a wall of iron. "The
human reservoir is full to overflowing. Two hundred thousand young
stalwarts of exactly the right age are ready to be caught up in the
whirl of the dance, until they sink in a marish of blood and bones." His
Excellency's agreeable reverie is interrupted by an aide-de-camp, who
informs him that the correspondent of an influential foreign newspaper
has requested an interview. This scene is brilliantly described. The
general does not allow the journalist to get a word in. He has his
speech ready:

"He delivered it now, speaking with emphasis, and pausing occasionally
to recall what came next. First of all, he referred to his gallant
soldiers, lauding their courage, their contempt for death, their doings
glorious beyond description. He went on to express regret that it was
impossible to reward all these heroes according to their deserts.
Raising his voice, he invoked the fatherland's eternal gratitude for
such loyalty and self-renunciation even unto death. Pointing to the
heavy crop of medals on his chest, he explained that the distinctions
conferred on him were really a tribute to his men. Finally he interwove
a few well-chosen remarks anent the military calibre of the enemy and
the skilled generalship displayed by the other side. His last words
conveyed his inviolable confidence in ultimate victory."

When the oration was finished, the general became the man of the world.

"You are going to the front now?" he asked with a courteous smile, and
responded to the journalist's enthusiastic "yes" with a melancholy sigh.

"Lucky man! I envy you. You see, the tragedy in the life of the modern
general is that he cannot lead his men personally into the fray. He
spends his whole life making ready for war; he is a soldier in body and
mind, and yet he knows the excitement of battle only from hearsay."

Of course the correspondent is delighted that he will be able to depict
this all-powerful warrior in the sympathetic role of renunciation.

The agreeable scene is dist