nes to him."

Leimann took a chair at the desk and a sheet of letter-paper from one
of the drawers.

Borgert sat down quietly in a corner, lit a cigarette, and blew its
smoke into the slanting triangle of floating particles of dust which
was formed by a ray of sunlight penetrating his window. The bluish
wreaths of smoke formed fantastic bands, weaving and interweaving.

Now at last the letter was ended, and Leimann closed it, wrote the
address on the outside, and Roese was told to take it immediately to
its destination.

"That will pull his leg, I think, if anything will!" said Leimann,
with a satisfied air, as he arose from his chair.

"What have you written him?" asked Borgert with some curiosity.

"Simply this,--that I needed money for a comrade and appealed
therefore to his generous sentiments of friendship which he had so
often proved. As a term for repayment I have indicated three months
hence, and have pledged my word for the punctual refunding of the
money; for you told me, you know, that you would have it here by that
time."

"Most assuredly I can. If the fellow will only give us the money now,
everything else will be attended to at its proper time."

Thus they chatted on for another half hour, when Roese returned with
his answer from Captain Koenig.

Leimann quickly grasped the letter, but then he hesitated before
opening it. Undecided, he scanned the address and looked
questioningly at Borgert, who was still comfortably seated in his
chair.

At last, however, impatience mastered him, and Leimann tore open the
envelope and unfolded the letter.

With consternation he read again and again. Borgert saw from the face
of his friend, who with eyebrows lifted and hands trembling with
nervous excitement stood there a picture of disappointment, that
Koenig's answer had not brought joyful news. But he was more quiet and
felt less disappointment than Leimann, although the whole matter
concerned in the first place rather him than the latter. It was no
longer new to him to receive denials to his letters requesting loans.

His face, though, assumed a wrathful expression when Leimann handed
him silently Koenig's response, and he began to read it. In his letter
the captain said:

"I earnestly regret that I'm not able to comply with your
wishes. On the one hand considerations for my family
restrain me, for sums of such magnitude I could only advance
if perfect security for their repayment