and behind them lay, carelessly strewn over with
straw, the corpses of slaughtered men. Anton turned away in horror when
he saw the pale faces through the straw. Newly-arrived troops were
bivouacking in the square--their horses stood in couples round; in all
the streets the tramp of patrols was heard; while it was only at rare
intervals that a civilian was seen to pass along the flag-stones; with
his hat drawn low over his face, and casting timid sidelong glances at
the foreign troops. Sometimes, too, a pale-looking man was seen, led
along by soldiers, and pushed onward with the bayonet if he went too
slowly. The town had worn an ugly appearance during the insurrection,
but it was still worse now.

When Anton returned from his first walk, with these impressions upon his
mind, he found a hussar walking up and down before his door like a
sentinel.

"Mr. Wohlfart!" shouted the hussar, rushing at him.

"My dear Karl," cried Anton; "this is the first pleasure I have had in
this wretched town. But how came you hither?"

"You know that I am serving my time. We joined our comrades at the
frontier a few hours after you had left. The landlord knew me, and told
me of your departure. You may imagine the fright I was in. To-day I got
leave of absence for the first time, and had the good luck to meet one
of the drivers, else I should not have found you out yet. And now, Mr.
Wohlfart, what of our principal, and what of your goods?"

"Come with me into my room, and you shall hear all," replied Anton.

"Stop a moment," cried Karl; "you speak to me more formally than you
used to do, and I can't stand that. Please to speak just as if I was
Karl in our old place yonder."

"But you are no longer so," said Anton, laughing.

"This is only a masquerade," said Karl, pointing to his uniform; "in my
heart I am still a supernumerary porter of T. O. Schroeter's."

"Have it your own way, Karl," replied Anton; "but come in, and hear all
about it."

Karl soon fell, as might have been expected, into a violent rage with
the good-for-nothing landlord. "The thievish dog! he has dared to attack
our firm and our head! To-morrow I'll take a whole troop of our fellows
there. I'll drive him into his own yard, and we'll all play at leap-frog
over him by the hour, and at every leap we'll give a kick to that wicked
head of his."

"Mr. Schroeter let him go unpunished," said Anton; "don't be more cruel
than he. I say, Karl, you are become a handsome y