r. The
latter, dryly and without comment, informed him that proceedings had
been begun against him before the Council of Honor, and that until
further notice he would be excused from service.

There was much excitement within the body of officers. In their
secret hearts every one of them was glad that in the deadening
monotony of their garrison life this affair, painful as it was, was
now assuming tangible proportions. For not a single one of them had
any kindly feeling for Kolberg, whose secretive disposition and whose
absence from nearly all joint festivities at the Casino had rendered
him unpopular, and Frau Kahle herself was scarcely better liked,
desperate flirt as she was.

It was because of this that none of the officers, least of all
Borgert, refrained from criticising in a most uncompromising spirit
both Kolberg and his paramour. And Weil's proceedings were unanimously
adjudged perfectly correct. The remarks made in regard to this whole
matter were by no means couched in such terms as might have been
expected from his Majesty's officers of the army when applied to
comrades. In fact, hard names were used, and everybody proclaimed
aloud his intention severely to cut "the vulgar beast" and "that
coarse woman."

Colonel von Kronau had had a great fright when Captain Stark, as
president of the Council of Honor, had handed him in the morning that
document which had given Weil so much anxious thought. He ruminated
and lugubriously pondered what had best be done in this unfortunate
affair in order to end it with the least amount of scandal; but his
cogitations were in vain. The matter had been brought formally to the
attention of the Council of Honor, and, according to the strict
wording of the instructions provided, there was no squelching or
modification of the proceedings possible. He had to be satisfied,
therefore, to curse most heartily the author of the fatal
document,--First Lieutenant Weil,--and to give him in his thoughts a
big black mark in the next conduct list.

A most unwelcome business, indeed. Already he saw himself
superintending the unloading of hay-carts on that estate of his, far
off in the eastern, semi-civilized districts of the realm.

But it was poor Major Kahle who would suffer most of all. After
attaining at last the goal of his desires, all his aspirations were to
be nipped in the bud by the misdemeanor of his wife. He had no idea
where she was now; she had preferred not to venture near