side him. He
confided to me that his detachment was getting ready to march, that he
would move off by daylight, and that he would leave but a few men
behind to attend to the campfires. I became much moved on Bertha's
account, and asked the Colonel whether he had any wishes which he
desired to have attended to.

"No," answered he, "my will is in the hands of Herr Offenheimer, the
lawyer. But the time is come for me to speak to you, dear father, of
myself. Perhaps we shall never be together again. I do not wish to
leave the world and not be really understood by you."

And so, leaning back in the large chair, he began in his peculiarly
sonorous, firm voice: "I do not like to speak of myself. I have learned
to move through life with closed lips. You are my father, and were my
comrade in a bold and hazardous undertaking. I am your pupil, although
you have shown great discretion in keeping everything from me which
might interfere with the profession I was to follow. Without your
knowing it, I developed at an early age. When crossing the prison yard
as a boy, I often saw the brother of Bertha's mother leaning against
the iron bars; The picture of this refined man, with his delicate
features, his large eye, his white brow, and light beard, haunted me in
my dreams. Do criminals look like that? I do not know whether my
childish heart put that question, but I believe it did. I stood on the
balcony as they carried his body away. I saw it placed on the wagon. At
that moment a feeling awoke in me that there are other and higher
objects in this world than princes, discipline, parole, epaulettes, and
orders.

"On that same day, I heard, for the first time, the words, _German
unity_. It became a sort of secret watchword for me; of that I am sure.
My father spoke of the noble enthusiast; the post-adjutant called him a
demagogue. I looked the word up in my Greek dictionary.

"I entered the military school. I learned about the Greek and Roman
heroes; I heard of Socrates, and always pictured him to myself like the
pale man behind the prison bars. I soon became reserved, and kept my
thoughts to myself; outwardly I was obedient and punctilious. My father
became commandant of the capital; as ensign, I was appointed as page to
our Prince. I was present at the great festivities in honor of the sons
of Louis Philippe, who were visiting our Court. I heard some one in the
crowd say they were only princes of the revolution. I studied modern
his