“ Our friend, Lieutenant Krafft,” said the Major, trying to act the man of the world, “ will have to find his feet here of course, but I don't think that'll be too difficult for him, with the spirit prevailing under my command. Aren't I right, my dear Ratshelm?”
“Yes indeed, Major,” confirmed Ratshelm instantly as one might have expected. “We’re very proud that we can teach the young cadets here a good deal more than the mere basic principles of their trade. We make it our endeavor to grasp and mould the entire personality. Krafft will soon get the hang of this.”
“Anyhow,” said the Major with friendly condescension, “I want to welcome Lieutenant Krafft most sincerely to our ranks, as a fellow fighter for our great and good cause under what one might call our training school slogan: Officers First and Foremost!”
“What can I offer you, gentlemen?” asked the gracious lady of the house, who had turned slightly pale but had lost none of her air of majesty. “Would you care perhaps for a small glass of port?”
Captain Ratshelm thanked her humbly, signifying that this would be most acceptable. Captain Feders announced enthusiastically that the charming lady's offer was an extraordinarily happy idea. Krafft merely managed to nod.
And Major Frey remarked: “A true German mistrusts everything foreign, unless of course it's something to drink!”
Captain Ratshelm laughed heartily at his course commander's witticism.
The dinner was, as they had been told, a modest one. Lieutenant Krafft had the honor of sitting next to the lady of the house. That was not altogether a pleasure, though, for while the other guests were able to devote themselves to their platefuls of sausage and share such butter as was available among themselves; Lieutenant Krafft found himself subjected to a barrage of questions.
“Are you married, Lieutenant?”
“No, Frau Frey.”
“I should say, from your age, you really should be by now. You must be almost thirty, aren't you? Here we always say that a family tie does an awful lot for a man's moral standing, and if it's up to an officer to set an example, how much more must this apply to those who train officers! Now tell me, are you engaged? Do you by any chance carry a picture of your fiancée on you? I always, think that's such a nice thing to do. I'd love to see it, if you have one.”
“I’m afraid I'll have to disappoint you there, Frau Frey,” said Krafft evasively, not hesitating to shelter from all this curiosity behind what he regarded as a white lie, “I was indeed once as good as engaged, and the girl came from an excellent family. But the tie was brutally sundered by the war.”
Captain Feders choked and spluttered and Captain Ratshelm regarded him with disapproval. But the Major just went on eating. Since his wife was paying no attention to him he had no need to conform to her dietary regulations.
“The young lady died, then,” declared the Major's wife. It was obviously difficult for her to imagine anything but death sundering such a tie.
Lieutenant Krafft choked on his slice of bread, which under the penetrating glance of his hostess he had dared only to spread with the thinnest layer of butter. As he choked his Head went forward, and she accepted this as tacit confirmation of her assumption. He felt certain that she would express her sympathy for him. As indeed she did. But she went further than that, for after all she was more than just a woman, she was the wife of a senior officer, and known to the cadets as “the Commanderess.” So to her conventional expression of sympathy Frau Frey added the following remark: “It must be very sad for you of course, but this mustn't make you despondent or prone to that numb state of helplessness which I believe is usual among vulgar people and ordinary rankers in their distress. However, so long as you remain one of my husband's officers and colleagues I shall of course take you under my wing.”
“I’m most obliged to you, Frau Frey,” said Lieutenant Krafft warily.
“Every week I hold a social gathering at which those officers who are still bachelors can meet the young unmarried ladies of good family of Wildlingen. You must come to them in future, Lieutenant.”
“Oh that's really too much, Frau Frey,” said the Lieutenant, overwhelmed. No woman had ever tried to assert such a vigorous and possessive hold over him before. This was more than mere friendly sympathy; it was social welfare positively being thrust down his throat. The Lieutenant swallowed the so-called pudding which followed the “cold plate,” a tart of some sort or other, and as he did so he looked irritated across at Captain Feders, who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. Lieutenant Krafft leant forward slightly; spread his legs apart under the table rather like a Japanese wrestler searching for a hold. As he did so his right foot struck the table leg. That's to say Krafft thought it was the table leg. But shortly afterwards he became aware of a certain warmth and then a yielding quality, whereupon he drew back sharply. It was not the table leg at all but the leg of the gracious lady herself with which he had come into contact.
Frau Felicitas never flinched. Her self-control was astonishing. She merely lifted her fine sheep's nose slightly, as if smelling a bad smell.
“So sorry, so sorry,” said Krafft in embarrassment.
“I think,” said Felicitas Frey loftily,” that it's now time for the gentlemen to have their smoke.
“A good soldier,” the Major assured everybody,” is never off duty. Which is why, gentlemen, you will hardly be surprised if I take this opportunity to talk a certain amount of shop.”
“No indeed, that doesn't surprise us at all, Major,” Feders assured him.
The gentlemen were sitting in venerable leather armchairs which creaked painfully every time anyone moved. Beneath their feet was a carpet lavishly adorned with a pattern of roses. They were surrounded by plush and excessively heavy and ornately carved dark brown furniture—no mistaking this for anything but a smoking-room.
As a pure matter of form the Major held out to the officers an ornate silver-plated rosewood box well stocked with cigars. Captain Ratshelm and Captain Feders, both of whom knew the form here, declined with thanks and asked permission to smoke their own cigarettes. Only Krafft grabbed mechanically at the box. To make matters worse, once there he seized on one of the Major's show-piece cigars. The Major managed to keep his hospitable smile intact. He merely frowned slightly at the same time. Yet as Krafft bit off the tip of the cigar with his teeth and spat it thoughtlessly out on to the carpet, the Major shuddered. Not for the sake of the carpet, but because such a degree of contempt for good manners hurt his finer feelings.
“I’m so sorry,” said Lieutenant Krafft, “but sometimes I find I completely forget the difference between a drawing-room and a fox-hole.”
“When I was at the front,” said Captain Ratshelm, “I had a C.O. who always used a snow-white napkin at meals even in the front line itself. Whatever happened he never ceased to be a man of culture.”
“When he dies a hero's death he won't exactly smell of eau de Cologne,” said Feders.
“Gentlemen,” said Major Frey, “I find that there are certain things which can't be joked about. In particular those things that are what one might call sacred to us.” And he fingered his Knight's Cross with oak leaves as if to reassure himself (a) that it was still there, (b) that it was straight and clearly visible, and (c) that it could therefore be admired.
“Let us never forget, gentlemen that the high moral purpose which is one of the fundamental tenets of soldiering should be with us at all times, for once a soldier always a soldier. And an officer of our stamp is the soldier par excellence, but to get down to business. On my course, my dear Krafft, there are three companies of three sections each, and each section has one tactics instructor and one section officer.