“I earnestly regret that I’m not able to comply with your wishes. On the one hand considerations for my family restrain me, for sums of such magnitude I could only advance if perfect security for their repayment were offered. But the only pledge you offer me for punctual return of the money is your word of honor, and I am sorry to say I cannot look upon that as such an absolute security, since you as well as First Lieutenant Borgert have not yet refunded the divers amounts which I loaned you months ago, although you at the time passed your word to me to see that the debt was paid promptly within ten days. Besides, it seems to me, that your financial condition, as far as I understand it, is not of a description to guarantee the keeping of a promise of that kind made to me.”
Borgert rose from his chair and flung the letter aside in a rage. Then he stepped to the window and looked down into the street.
Neither of the two spoke a word; but as their glances met, Leimann remarked:
“Well, what do you say to this?”
“A piece of insolence, a vulgar bit of presumption it is on his part!” Borgert broke out. “How the devil does this fellow dare, anyway, to concern himself with our private affairs? It would have been merely an unfriendly act and would have shown a deficient spirit of comradeship to send us a reply refusing our request, but to do so in this offensive manner! We cannot quietly submit to this.”
“But what are you going to do about it?” retorted Leimann with a shrug. “If you openly take a stand against him, he has us by the throat if he merely states that we did not keep our pledged word, and we could not dispute that, for he can show it in black and white. Therefore it will be best for us to pocket his rudeness and to cut the fellow; he will not fail to notice that.”
“Apparently he has entirely forgotten that it would be an easy matter for us to break his neck. Did he not say himself at the time that he was going to take the amount in question from the squadron fund? I think we could make it very unpleasant for him if we were to use this fact against him.”
“True,” said Leimann, “but you could not in decency bring up the matter, since his touching those funds was done in our interest.”
“I don’t care. If he at present takes the liberty to throw impudent remarks in our faces, I will certainly show him that I’m in a condition to pay him back in the same coin.”
“But you cannot possibly sign a formal accusation stating that König had lent you money obtained from the squadron fund. Do you not see that that would throw a curious light upon yourself?”