"At Jena, naturally," said a great, red-faced Prussian, who was standing with his arm round the neck of his horse.
"The devil take him!" Herr Leo's nostrils swelled with anger.
"Ja wohl," cried the whole party, which is the German way of agreeing.
"I saw the Emperor last night, Herr Forester."
Every eye turned on Hans.
Then he told his story, and the brows of the soldiers grew gloomy.
"He, the Devil, was awake," said one who leaned idly against the doorpost, "and we were all sleeping." He shrugged his shoulders and began biting his nails as if in irritation.
"The Prussian generals are old," said the forester. He was a pompous-looking man, and announced everything with an air of being a herald.
"He called them 'old wigs.'" Hans' face flushed. "The generals of Frederick the Great's army 'old wigs'!"
At that the soldiers uttered words which made the women shudder.