ubjects connected with peace and war. Anton remarked that he treated
the officers with a degree of formal politeness, which considerably
checked the free and easy tone which they had at first adopted. The
conversation soon became general, and all listened with attention to the
merchant while he spoke of the disturbed districts, with which former
journeys had made him familiar, and sketched some of the leaders of the
insurrection. Young Von Rothsattel alone, to Anton's great distress, did
not seem to like the attention lent by his comrades to the civilian, nor
the lion's share of the conversation conceded him. He threw himself
carelessly back on his chair, looked absently at the ceiling, played
with his sword-hilt, and uttered curt observations, intended to denote
that he was not a little bored. When the captain mentioned that he
expected their commander-in-chief to arrive in the morning, and the
merchant said in reply, "Your colonel will not be here till to-morrow
evening, so at least he said to me when I met him at the station," the
demon of pride in the young officer's breast became uncontrollable, and
he rudely said, "You know our colonel, then? I suppose he buys his tea
and sugar from you."

"At all events, he used to do so," politely replied the merchant;
"indeed, as a younger man, I have sometimes weighed out coffee for him
myself."

A certain degree of embarrassment now arose among the officers, and one
of the elder attempted, according to his light, to rectify the
intentional rudeness by saying something about a most highly-respectable
establishment where civilians or military alike might procure, with
perfect satisfaction, whatever they needed.

"I thank you, captain, for the confidence you repose in my house,"
replied the merchant, with a smile, "and I am indeed proud that it
should have become respectable through my own active exertions and those
of my firm."

"Lieutenant Rothsattel, you head the next patrol; it is time that you
should set out," said the captain. Accordingly, with clink and clatter,
the lieutenant rose.

"Here comes our landlord with a new bottle on which he sets great value;
it is the best wine in his cellar. May not Herr von Rothsattel take a
glass of it before he goes to watch over our night's rest?" inquired the
merchant, with calm politeness.

The young man haughtily thanked him and clattered out of the room. Anton
could have thrashed his new favorite with all his heart.

It was