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The face of the turnpike-keeper lighted up as he listened to the captain's words. He breathed again. Thank God! things could not go so badly with the boy. A few weeks under arrest and the affair would be at an end. But Wegstetten proceeded to tell him of the continued obstinacy of his son, and at last was forced to impart to the old man the severe sentence that had been passed.
In addition to this he had many vexations to bear when on duty. Captain von Wegstetten and Lieutenant Reimers, who certainly both knew their business well, had always shown themselves satisfied with him; but a new senior-lieutenant was imported into the battery, a certain Brettschneider, who was always pulling Vogt up and finding fault with him.
Wegstetten gave orders that the sergeant-major should not be disturbed that day. Under such circumstances a man had better be left to himself. But when Heimert did not put in an appearance next morning, Käppchen was sent to look him up. The battery-clerk came back much disturbed, and announced: "Excuse me, sir, I think the sergeant-major's gone mad." "Mad?
And to-day the sergeant-major didn't even seem to be thinking of a pause for luncheon. It therefore happened very opportunely when Captain von Wegstetten, having scarcely listened to the sergeant-major's report, "Nothing new in the battery," said: "Sergeant Schumann, I want to speak to you for a minute."
Wegstetten gave as many particulars about the man as he himself knew, and Reimers added some information, Landsberg meanwhile standing by in silence. "It is really you, Lieutenant Landsberg, who ought to be telling me all this," said Falkenhein with some warmth. "You trained the recruits, and therefore ought to know all about them."
The men avoided him as far as they could, for one seldom came near him without being called back and found fault with; and everybody non-coms. and all felt exasperated by the young man's conceited behaviour. Devil take the fellow! Wegstetten and Reimers certainly did not make themselves cheap with the men.
Wegstetten stuck the documents into his sleeve and took leave. The colonel accompanied him to the door and shook hands with him very cordially. The captain reflected, however, as he went down the steps, that every one must have at least one fault.
Captain von Wegstetten was very well pleased with Weise; he considered he had made him a permanent convert to the cause of king and country, But Weise was rather inclined to domineer over his subordinates which was not what might have been expected of a former social-democrat and on that account his captain had hit upon the idea of persuading him to be a fire-worker.
The doctor declared her case to be hopeless from the first, and gave her but a short time to live. But even the approach of death did not silence her evil tongue. Once the wretched wife went to Wegstetten, the captain of their battery, in the vain hope that he might be able to help her. "Just consider a little, Frau Heppner," he suggested, "whether you yourself may not be somewhat to blame.
"Perhaps you did not quite know what you were doing?" The accused hesitated a moment. Wegstetten and Reimers had remained in the room. The former moved restlessly from one foot to the other. If Vogt were only to say "Yes," then the whole thing would be put down to a temporary aberration of mind due to hurry and fatigue, and the affair would end with his acquittal.
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