"Oh, in truth," I said, "not yet seventeen."
"But you are over eighteen in the records."
"That, my captain, is my official age."
"Very well, very well; it has nothing to do with me."
After awhile the captain said:
"Who was Nicholas? What was he?"
I answered truly that I did not know—that nobody knew—that he had often plenty of money, and was a good comrade.
"We could not fail to see, my captain," I went on, "that he had been in a high position once; there is, indeed, a story that he commanded a company of Russian guards at Plevna, but no one knows with certainty. He did not tell, and we did not like to inquire." Then I asked the captain for permission to leave the company for half-an-hour in the morning.
"Why do you ask that?"
"I want to see Nicholas; he will be disappointed if I do not go to see him."