Understand?"

As Joseph closed the door behind him, Wilhelm hurriedly pulled on his shirt, ran a comb through his hair, and, crossing to the window, looked down into the still-deserted courtyard of the barracks. As he saw his former comrade walking up and down with bowed head, a stiff, black hat pressed down over his forehead, in an unbuttoned yellow overcoat and brown, not very clean shoes, he felt a pang of sympathy. He opened the window and was almost at the point of waving to the waiting man and greeting him out loud when he saw his orderly approach him and Wilhelm observed, by the anxious and drawn look on his old friend's face, with how much emotion he was waiting for the answer. Since it was favorable, Bogner's features lightened, and he disappeared with the orderly through the door beneath Wilhelm's window-which Wilhelm now closed, as though he suspected that the coming conversation would call for that kind of precaution. All at once the odor of forest and spring was gone again-that odor which permeated the courtyard of the barracks on such Sunday mornings, but which curiously enough could never be noticed on weekdays. Whatever happens, thought Wilhelm-and what could happen anyway?-I'm going to Baden today, and I'll have dinner at the Stadt Wien-if they don't keep me for dinner at the Kessners as they did the other day.

"Come in!" And with rather exaggerated cordiality, Wilhelm held out his hand. "How are you, Bogner? I'm delighted to see you. Won't you take off your coat? Yes, look around; everything's the same as ever. The place hasn't gotten any larger. But there's room enough in the smallest hut for a happy ..."

Otto smiled politely, as if he were aware of Wilhelm's embarrassment and wished to help him out of it. "I hope," he said, "that your quote about the 'smallest hut' is usually more apt than it is at the moment."

Wilhelm laughed more loudly than was necessary. "Unfortunately, it isn't often. I live quite simply. I assure you. no female foot has stepped into this room for at least six weeks. Plato was a womanizer compared to me. But do sit down." He took some linen from a chair and threw it on the bed. "And may I offer you a cup of coffee?"

"Thank you, Kasda, don't go to any trouble for me. I've already had breakfast.... A cigarette, though, if you don't mind...."

Wilhelm wouldn't permit Otto to use his own cigarette case but pointed to the smoking stand, where an open box of his cigarettes was lying. Wilhelm offered him a light, and Otto silently took a few puffs, glancing at the well-known picture that hung on the wall above the black leather sofa and depicted an old-fashioned officers' steeplechase.

"Well, now tell me about yourself," said Wilhelm. "How've you been? How come no one has heard from you for such a long time? When we parted-two or three years ago now-you did promise that from time to time you-"

Otto interrupted him: "It was better, perhaps, that I let no one see or hear of me, and it would certainly have been better if I hadn't been obliged to come to you today, either." And, to Wilhelm's surprise, he suddenly sat down in a corner of the sofa whose other corner was filled with a clutter of well-thumbed books. "For, as you may well imagine, Willi"-he spoke rapidly and sharply-"my visit today, at this unusual hour-I know you like to sleep in on Sundays-my visit, of course, has a purpose. Otherwise I'd certainly not have allowed myself-to be brief, I've come in the name of our old friendship-unfortunately, I can't say our 'comradeship' any longer. You don't have to turn so pale, Willi; it's nothing dangerous. It's a question of a few gulden, which I simply must have by tomorrow morning, because if I don't, there's nothing left for me to do but"-his voice rose to a military pitch-"well-what I should have done two years ago if I had been wiser."

"Don't talk nonsense!" said Wilhelm in a tone of annoyance tempered by friendly embarrassment.

The orderly brought in breakfast and disappeared. Willi poured the coffee. He became conscious of a bitter taste in his mouth and felt peeved that he had not been able to complete his morning toilet. Fortunately he had planned to take a Turkish bath on his way to the station. He didn't need to be in Baden until around noon anyway.