“Why do you say all this to me?” interrupted Bruning; “I am entirely of your opinion and have never pretended to Helmer that I shared his illusions. I know the world better than he does.... ‘One cannot think highly enough of man’!—such an idea as that can only be expressed by a philosopher far removed from reality, and repeated by a cloud-sailing poet. Well, and what do you say, Regenburg?”
“I—what do I say?—About what?”
“Haven’t you been listening?”
“Oh, yes—I—well, I am afraid that through all these new sports,—especially in the air,—the horses will entirely die out.”
“Even Pegasuses?” suggested Malhof, laughing.
In another niche sat Romeo Rinotti and Gaston de la Rochère in a colloquy. They, too, were discussing the yesterday’s address. The Frenchman held the translation of Helmer’s speech in his hand. He looked disgusted.
“What do you say to it? Have you read it through?” asked Rinotti.
“I have just glanced over it, my dear Marquis. And that has sufficed to make me angry enough.” He flung the pamphlet on the table. “German poets should confine themselves to singing about forget-me-nots, but not deliver discourses about things they do not understand. What does this one know about the action of airships in the war to come? Or perhaps he wants to spoil the pleasure of other nations in building air-fleets, because Germany—thanks to her Zeppelin—has gone so far ahead.... In return our single flyers are far more numerous and much better perfected. Besides, we have really made a beginning with the dirigibles ... might far more easily reach the forefront again, if this miserable pestilential republic would only look out better for the national defense.”
Rinotti laughed: “So then you are an arch-royalist? But you are really doing injustice to your present régime; just see how in the last few years your expenditure for the army and the fleet has mounted up.”
“Oh, stuff; that is only hypocrisy ... they are afraid of arousing the anger of genuine patriots, and consequently they do not venture to hold back the funds as much as they would like to; but at the same time they haven’t the slightest intention of standing up boldly for the honor of France.”