“You will excuse me, honoured comrades, if I now venture to make a request.
“Among your colleagues there must be some in a position to do me a good turn.
“I beg the officers to allow a little collection to be made, and shall be eternally grateful for this permission.
“Awaiting your favours, I remain, the most devoted of your comrades,
“Georg Doppel.
“PS.—I had some conversation yesterday with the principal medical officer of the Ingolstadt hospital. He informed me that there would be a continual exchange of medical officers and of the personnel of the French medical department with German prisoners.”
Without comment, I handed the letter to Brissot, who then said: “Georg also wants you to give him a letter of introduction to the principal medical officer.” It is a weakness of mine that I cannot say “no,” and I therefore promptly wrote this note:
“Monsieur le Médecin-chef,—
“M. Georg Doppel has begged me to translate the accompanying petition, and to give him a letter of introduction to you. In my humble opinion, he has rendered services [I should have liked to add the words ‘extremely onerous’] to many of our comrades. For my own part, I shall gladly contribute to a collection, if you think it well to permit one.