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He went on sending a message, wholly oblivious of Westerling, who stumbled back into the staff room and paused inarticulate before Turcas. "The army is going resisting by units, but going. It has made its own orders!" Turcas said. The other division chiefs nodded in agreement.
He rose and struck his fist on the desk in a pulsing outbreak of energy and stubbornness. "But I stay! I stay!" he cried. "The enemy is not near. He can't be!" "Very near, general. You can see for yourself, said the aide. "I will!" Westerling replied. "I will see how the conspiracy of the staff has made ruin of my plans!"
Rather carefully he laid the pieces on the table before he rose and turned to Westerling, his decision made. "If the people respond with the war fever, then it is war!" he said. "I take you at your word that you will win!" Westerling's chair creaked with the tense drawing of his muscles in the impulse of delight.
"Then my mother's and my own interests are with you the interests of peace are with you!" she declared. She did not appear to see the sudden, uncontrolled gleam of victory in his eyes; for now she was looking fixedly at the point where Hugo had stood. By this time it had become a habit for Westerling to wait silently for her to come out of her abstractions.
"Yes, Your Excellency. There is no need of worrying as long as you are in command," said François; and Westerling gulped at the coffee and chewed at a piece of roll, which was so dry in his mouth and so hard to swallow that he gave up the attempt.
"We'll set all the machinery we have to work to find one, sir," Bouchard replied. "Another thing, we may dismiss any idea that they are concealing either artillery or dirigibles or planes that we do not know of," continued Westerling. "That is a figment of our apprehensions. The fact that we find no truth in the rumors proves that there is none.
It would be of use, however, if we had plans of the forts that would enable us to check off his report intelligently." "Yet, what evidence have we that Partow or Lanstron has done more than to make a fortunate guess or show military insight?" Westerling asked. "There is the case of my own belief that Bordir was weak, which proved correct."
"After luncheon I remember Partow saying, 'We are going to have a look at the crops, and they went for a walk out to the knoll where the fighting began." "Yes! When was this?" Westerling asked keenly. "Only about six weeks ago," answered Marta. "That's it! That's splendid!
He thought himself the most fortunate lieutenant in the army. To him Westerling was, indeed, great. Westerling realized this. "This is a personal call," Westerling explained; "so you are at liberty to make one yourself, if you like," he added, with that magnetic smile of a genial power which he used to draw men to him and hold them.
"But you have not yet taken a single fortress!" persisted the premier. "And the Browns report that they have lost only three hundred thousand men." "Lanstron is lying!" retorted Westerling hotly. "But no matter. We have taken positions with every attack and kept crowding in closer. I ask nothing better than that the Browns remain on the defensive, leaving initiative to us.
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