I silently evoked the De Valpics whose names shine in our annals: the Lord High Constable, the Admiral....
"I hoped it would turn out all right. At F—— I managed fairly well; I kept watch, you see, with my little thermometer!"
"And now?"
"Ah, now! I've caught cold again. I was told: 'Whatever you do, don't get cold.'"
He coughed, and said very softly:
"This morning I spat some blood."
With a touching gesture he sought my hand and squeezed it.
"Dreher, I tell you all that because you've been good to me. Yes, yes, I shall never forget it. The other day you didn't let me thank you. Dreher, will you believe that ... I'm your friend?"
Not wishing to show how much touched I was, I continued in a decided tone:
"In the state you are in, old fellow, you have no alternative but to get discharged."