“As usual, gentlemen, quite informal," announced Major Frey quietly. For the General always left trivial matters of organization to his immediate subordinates.
The officers dispersed, informally as usual, to their various tables, with the company commanders and a sprinkling of tactics instructors positioned close to the General. After them came the section officers, followed by the rest: three accountants, or rather quartermasters, two doctors, an engineer officer from the transport section, and a civilian specially attached.
Major Frey said: “I beg to report to the General that the officers are all present for dinner."
Major-General Modersohn nodded almost imperceptibly and sat down. His forty-six officers did the same. The General grasped his spoon. The forty-six officers did likewise. The General drove his spoon into the soup. The rest of the company followed his example.
They ate in silence at first, a silence punctuated only by occasional sucking noises. For the General neither said a word himself nor gave anyone else permission to speak. Every now and again he would throw a searching glance at his officers, noting that none of them seemed particularly to relish their food—a fact which could not be attributed solely to the thin insipidness of the potato soup. The officers were desperately trying to prepare themselves for the tactical exercise to follow—the major outbreak of fire in barracks. And the effort 'rather took their appetites away.
Only when the second course, a dish of beef with haricots verts, arrived did the General turn to Judge-Advocate Wirrmann and, speaking with a slight drawl, say: “So you wish to undertake a second case in my command even before completing the first?"
Wirrmann felt relieved at thus being asked to speak at last. He perked up at once and said: “My investigations into the causes of Lieutenant Barkow's death remain of course my chief concern, General. As for this matter of rape
“This alleged matter of rape," Lieutenant Krafft corrected him, in discreet but unmistakable tones.
The General eyed the Lieutenant shrewdly for a moment, before going on with his dinner. Clearly he wasn't going to allow anything to escape him.
The Judge-Advocate continued hurriedly: "'All right then, this alleged rape. But as far as that's concerned, I have simply wished to make my expert knowledge available—an offer which Captain Kater seemed delighted to accept but which Lieutenant Krafft seems to view with disfavor."
“Not without reason either," said Lieutenant Krafft, quite unperturbed. “For the facts are still obscure, and nothing has yet been proved."
“Excuse me, please," put in Wirrmann. “Since you're not a lawyer, you're hardly in a position to judge that.
“Maybe," said Krafft stubbornly,” but I've been put in charge of this case, and I am therefore dealing with it as I think right."
“As you think fit," corrected the General, without looking up from his plate, and concentrating wholly, it seemed, on the potato before him
This unexpected remark struck his table companions temporarily dumb. Captain Kater choked on a mouthful of beef. Wirrmann subjected the General's remark to the closest possible scrutiny, trying to decide what to make of it. Krafft was merely astonished at the sharpness of Modersohn's hearing—the General, it seemed, was alive to every nuance.
Finally Wirrmann said: " A case of this sort, General, requires expert opinion even more than the usual routine sort of affair. I therefore consider it my duty to lend Captain Kater my assistance. You see, it's quite different from some everyday offence such as refusing to obey an order, or theft from a comrade, or desertion—the most trivial details can be of decisive legal importance in a case of this kind. According to the relevant paragraph of the Ministry Code there are three fundamental requirements for rape: the complete act itself, the use of force, and the absence of consent. Take one point for example, the importance of which most laymen would overlook: the underclothes. The question here is who removed them? How much resistance was offered? Were there in fact any underclothes at all?—and if not, from what point in the proceedings?"
“Herr Wirrmann," said the General without raising his voice, but with extreme asperity, “we’re eating our dinner."
The Judge-Advocate's mouth shut tight. His lips, which were thin enough, in any case, now became no more than a slit in his face. He blushed to the roots, feeling like a schoolboy humiliated in front of the whole class, an experience which hadn't come his way since he'd been in the sixth form. The other officers were discreetly enjoying the situation.
The General calmly went on with his dinner. Lieutenant Krafft put his knife and fork together, and for the first time examined Modersohn more closely. He saw a long, angular skull, as rough as a piece of pumice stone, though the features were clear and distinct. The few lines in his face ran very deep down from his nostrils past his mouth to his chin. His eyes were a steely grey, and he had a high forehead with close-cropped white hair. Krafft was tempted to think of some noble but unpredictable Prussian stallion.
“Gentlemen, we shall now retire," said the General, getting up from his seat.
“The tactical training exercise," announced the A.D.C. fussily, “will take place in this room in fifteen minutes' time."
“Well, Judge-Advocate," asked Captain Feders amiably, "did you enjoy your dinner?"
“A little too strongly spiced for my taste," said Wirrmann, laughing as if he had a sense of humor. But his laugh sounded anything but genuine, for he was a man who took himself desperately seriously.
Most of the officers had withdrawn to the lobby to get out of the General's field of fire, and they now took advantage of the break to smoke a quick cigarette. At the same time they tried to ferret out information about the projected exercise, chiefly quizzing Captain Feders.
“Gentlemen," said Feders defensively, " I'm utterly in the dark about this myself. How should I know what's meant to happen if a major fire breaks out in the barracks? Until I've had further details of the scheme, I shan't be able to think of how to cope with it. I may be tactics instructor in a training school, but I'm not exactly a clairvoyant yet."
The officers' restlessness increased and they enveloped themselves in thicker and thicker clouds of smoke. Through the open doorway of the dining-room they could see the orderlies transforming the place into a sort of classroom with a blackboard at the rear and two map-stands beside it, and the General's table in front, like a headmaster's desk. The officers' tables and chairs were arranged like school benches.
“Well anyway," said Judge-Advocate Wirrmann, “I’m glad to be spared this."
“And I expect you'd be gladder still," said Feders, “if you had permission to put these three strapping girls under your microscope."
“Captain Feders," Wirrman rebuked him, “as far as I'm concerned this is a purely professional matter and the fact that it happens to involve three females of doubtful repute is of complete indifference to me."
“I don't quite see how you can separate the one side of it from the other."
“I am a lawyer, Captain, after all!"
“Exactly!" said Feders gaily. “If you were a doctor, or a psychiatrist, or even a gynecologist, I'd say fine, this is his job, this is the sort of thing he's used to. But when a lawyer whose only experience so far is with old sweats comes along and starts peering under three young girls' skirts—then my dear sir, I can hardly help laughing up my sleeve."
“You’re letting your imagination run away with you," replied Wirrmann. He would have liked to add that the General was too. But he held his