[15] “Kater,” a slang term for the demoralized condition consequent upon alcoholic overindulgence.—Tr.
[16] “Corona,” meaning all the drinkers present; a student’s expression.—Tr.
[17] “Liebesmahl,” a fraternal banquet arranged, on special occasions, by the officers of a garrison or of a regiment for the purpose of celebrating joyous events.—Tr.
[18] “Dämelsack”—a low term of opprobrium.—Tr.
Chapter VII
AN AIRY STRUCTURE COLLAPSES
Seated at his desk in his elegantly furnished apartments, we see First Lieutenant Borgert.
Before him lay a large sheet of paper covered with rows of figures, and all around him whole mountains of documents, bills, and vari-colored envelopes.
One after another he took up these bits of paper, and from them noted down amounts on the big sheet. He had already reached the third column when he suddenly ceased his labors and threw the pencil disgustedly away. Then he grasped the whole pile and threw it into the fire, where in a few moments it was consumed in the leaping flame and reduced to a tiny mass of ashes.
His laudable purpose had been to go through all the claims against him, so far as they had been presented. Usually his simple method was to throw bills, as they reached him, into the stove; but for once he had been curious to find out how much he really owed in the world, or at least to gain an approximate idea of his indebtedness.