y poor example of good breeding, being all through
exceedingly haughty and overbearing, and treating the attempts of Sir
Robert and Captain Murray to act as their interpreters to the colonel
and the other officers with a contempt that was most galling; and more
than once Frank saw his father, who was opposite, bite his lip and look
across at Captain Murray, who, after one of these glances, whispered to
Frank:

"Your dad's getting nettled, my lad, and I find it very consoling."

"Why?" said Frank, who felt annoyed with himself for enjoying the
evening so much.

"Why? Because I was fancying that I must have a very hasty temper for
minding what has been taking place. Do you know any German at all?"

"Very little," said Frank quickly.

"What a pity! You could have said something to this stolid gentleman on
my right. He seems to think I am a waiter."

"I thought he was very rude several times."

"Well, yes, I suppose we must call it rude. The poor old colonel yonder
is in misery; he does hardly anything but wipe his forehead. Does not
young Forbes speak German?"

"No, he hates it," said Frank hastily.

"Enough to make him," muttered the captain. "But never mind; you must
both come and dine with us another time, when we are all Englishmen
present. This is a dreary business; but we must make the best of it."

He turned to say something courteous to the heavy, silent officer on his
right, but it was coldly received, and after a few words the German
turned to converse with one of his fellow-countrymen, others joined in,
and the colonel looked more troubled and chagrined than ever.

The dinner went slowly on; and at last, with the conversation
principally carried on by the German guests, who were on more than one
occasion almost insolent to their entertainers, the dessert was
commenced, several of the officers drawing their chairs closer, and a
young ensign, who looked very little older than Frank, whispered to him:

"I heard your father say that you were coming into the army."

"Yes, I hope to," replied the lad.

"Then you set to at once to study German. We shall be having everything
German soon."

"Then I shall not join," said Andrew across the table; and the officer
on his right laughed.

Sir Robert and Captain Murray were too much occupied now to pay any
attention to their young guests, who found the officers below them eager
to make up for this, and they began chatting freely, so that this was
th