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His little swimming eyes seemed to hypnotise the dealer when they were playing cards, and his big fat hands had nothing to do but to rake in the winnings. He had not the least scruple in taking money from the sergeant-major and Trumpeter-sergeant Henke, who were usually his adversaries why else did the fellows play with him? but he did not like winning from Frielinghausen.
Therefore, he had taken care only to invite men on whom he could rely to this second instalment of the farewell drinking party: the sergeant-major of the fifth battery, who imitated his chief in drinking, and Trumpeter Henke of his own, the sixth battery, two seasoned gamblers.
"Eleven marks the bottle, Henke!" "No matter! What our officers can do I can do also. Bring it along!" Mine host hurried down into his cellar and fetched two bottles of Pommery from the furthermost corner, a good dry brand with which horse-dealers sometimes christened a concluded bargain. There was no more ice to be had; so he opened the bottle as it came out of the cellar.
I think we will let him out of barracks again. You can tell him so." Trautvetter had also returned all his notes-of-hand to his other debtor, Trumpeter-sergeant Henke. The cornet-player did not feel constrained to any special feeling of gratitude for this.
Once he had received a passionate love letter, signed by "a lady of high degree, who deplored with tears of blood" the dividing difference of rank between them. It was transparently the coarse work of a practical joker; but Henke in his conceit believed in the high-born heiress, and this dream quite turned his head.
She said nothing about a new request for money with which Henke had charged her, but confessed to him instead that all he had already given her for housekeeping and such-like had been appropriated by her husband, who had used it to buy himself a gold watch-chain, an extra sword, and silver spurs. Trautvetter looked down upon her fair head.
Then suddenly Henke had an idea. "Gentlemen!" he began, "I see that I have had tremendous luck. I must really give some of it away." He dug the sleepy landlord in the ribs, and shouted in his ear, "Now then, Anton! I want two bottles of champagne." The landlord was quite alert in a moment. He stood to win by this sort of play. "Bring the most expensive!" trumpeted the trumpeter.
The other four had all lost. The deputy sergeant-major was quite thirty marks poorer. He glanced darkly at the small sum which still lay before him. How stupid he had been! He had thrown away his luck with the thaler which he had lent Henke, that was quite certain. Now, instead of himself, this fop had hauled in the fat baker's money. That was the reward of his good nature!
Henke now wanted to show himself a gallant lover. He intended to present the countess with a bracelet. "Give me the money!" he cried to Lisbeth when she entered. "I have none," she replied. "Trautvetter won't give me any more." Henke tugged at his beard. This was a fatal upset to his calculations. What would the countess say if he broke his promise?
"That's as may be," replied Lisbeth calmly; and she proceeded to set forth to her wondering husband a plan she had conceived for increasing the financial resources of the household. She would do fine washing and ironing for the one-year volunteers; and he, Henke, should arrange it with them. Henceforth the young wife spent her days over the wash-tub and the ironing-board.
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