Fifties,
with a door at either end, and lighted by a large wooden lantern. On a
small dais three musicians were fiddling. Solitary men, or groups,
sat at some dozen tables, and the waiters hurried about replenishing
glasses; the air was thick with smoke. Swithin sat down. "Wine!" he said
sternly. The astonished waiter brought him wine. Swithin pointed to a
beer glass on the table. "Here!" he said, with the same ferocity. The
waiter poured out the wine. 'Ah!' thought Swithin, 'they can understand
if they like.' A group of officers close by were laughing; Swithin
stared at them uneasily. A hollow cough sounded almost in his ear. To
his left a man sat reading, with his elbows on the corners of a journal,
and his gaunt shoulders raised almost to his eyes. He had a thin, long
nose, broadening suddenly at the nostrils; a black-brown beard, spread
in a savage fan over his chest; what was visible of the face was the
colour of old parchment. A strange, wild, haughty-looking creature!
Swithin observed his clothes with some displeasure--they were the
clothes of a journalist or strolling actor. And yet he was impressed.
This was singular. How could he be impressed by a fellow in such
clothes! The man reached out a hand, covered with black hairs, and took
up a tumbler that contained a dark-coloured fluid. 'Brandy!' thought
Swithin. The crash of a falling chair startled him--his neighbour had
risen. He was of immense height, and very thin; his great beard seemed
to splash away from his mouth; he was glaring at the group of officers,
and speaking. Swithin made out two words: "Hunde! Deutsche Hunde!"
'Hounds! Dutch hounds!' he thought: 'Rather strong!' One of the officers
had jumped up, and now drew his sword. The tall man swung his chair up,
and brought it down with a thud. Everybody round started up and closed
on him. The tall man cried out, "To me, Magyars!"

Swithin grinned. The tall man fighting such odds excited his unwilling
admiration; he had a momentary impulse to go to his assistance. 'Only
get a broken nose!' he thought, and looked for a safe corner. But at
that moment a thrown lemon struck him on the jaw. He jumped out of his
chair and rushed at the officers. The Hungarian, swinging his chair,
threw him a look of gratitude--Swithin glowed with momentary admiration
of himself. A sword blade grazed his--arm; he felt a sudden dislike of
the Hungarian. 'This is too much,' he thought, and, catching up a chair,
flung it at the wo