"Well, what is it; what is it?"
"Despatches from General Head-quarters, Your Majesty! The General asked me to say the matter was urgent!"
The Kaiser wakened in an instant.
"Bring him in!" Then, to Plessen, he added in a voice from which all mirth had vanished, in accents of gloom:
"At this hour, Plessen? If things have again gone wrong on the Somme!"
An officer came in quickly, rigid with a frozen face, helmet on head, portfolio under his arm. The Kaiser walked the length of the room to his desk and sat down. Plessen and the other followed him. I remained where I was. They seemed to have forgotten all about me.
A murmur rose from the desk. The officer was delivering his report. Then the Kaiser seemed to question him, for I heard his hard, metallic voice:
"Contalmaison ... Trones Wood ... heavy losses ... forced back ... terrific artillery fire ..." were words that reached me. The Kaiser's voice rose on a high note of irritability. Suddenly he dashed the papers on the desk from him and exclaimed:
"It is outrageous! I'll break him! Not another man shall he have if I must go myself and teach his men their duty!"
Plessen hurriedly left the desk and came to me. His old face was white and his hands were shaking.