“The deuce you say! What luck! But supposing these fellows afterwards give you away, especially if they don’t get their promotions?”
“Oh, they won’t say anything; they are glad enough if they can stay away from the army. As to promotions, most of them were not the kind to think about such a thing.”
“Well, I in your place should be afraid there might be trouble some time, and then think what a rumpus there would be!”
“Leave me alone for that. Just now there are a couple more of these rich, stupid fellows; there is the son of a butcher in Brunswick whose father must be worth a million or so, and the others, too, have lots of money to burn. What do you suppose I’ll make out of them before they leave the squadron? They are worth at least a couple of hundred apiece to me. Well, Prosit!” They clinked glasses.
The glasses rang out harmoniously, and the next instant they were emptied of the last drops.
“How do you like this stuff? Costs six marks the bottle! Of course, I didn’t pay for it,”—with another wink.
“Horribly expensive; where did you get it?”
“Last year, you remember, that one year’s volunteer, Hoch? When he wanted to become sergeant, I did my best for him with the Chief, and so he got the chevrons. And he was not ungrateful. A whole box of wine—two dozen of these bottles. Pretty decent, wasn’t it?”
“You’re lucky, sure enough!”
“You see, my friend, how these things must be done. Always practical: that’s my motto. Last year, for instance, I had charge of the mess provisions. The butcher put in a good many bones now and then, and I don’t think that he ever gave over-weight. Naturally, I was after him, and the result was a ‘blue rag’ every week from him, and my family meat didn’t cost me a red, either.”