Gähler hesitated a little; then he resumed glibly: "Please do not think badly of me, sir. There were difficulties; the servant-girl slandered me; you will understand, sir."
He stood there embarrassed, polishing the chin-piece of the helmet with the sleeve of his coat.
Reimers felt amused at his choice manner of expressing himself. "So you can't leave the women alone?" he asked. "Well, with me you will not be led into temptation."
Gähler modestly demurred: "I beg your pardon, sir; but in that case it was really not at all my fault."
The lieutenant laughed. "Oh, all right!" he said; "but before that, where were you?"
The gunner drew himself up proudly, and replied with dignity: "I was groom to Count Vocking, in Dresden."
"Aha, that accounts for it!"
Reimers was no longer surprised. The aristocratic cavalry-officer was considered the richest and smartest sportsman in Germany.
First, Reimers asked for his smoking-jacket, and then told Gähler to help him in unpacking the case of books which had just arrived from Suez.
Gähler handed him the volumes, and could not help remarking: "You have an awful lot of books, sir!"