I'm going out to the country today-to Baden. There, on Sunday afternoons, in the Cafe Schopf, we sometimes gamble a little: a friendly game of twenty-one, or baccarat, as the case may be. Of course, I only play very modestly, if at all. I've played three or four times, mostly just for the fun of it. The main organizer is Dr. Tugut, the regiment doctor, who incidentally has recently had a fantastic run of good luck. Lieutenant Wimmer is usually there, and Greising, of the 77th.... You don't know him. He's in treatment in Baden-on account of an old ailment. A few civilians also participate-a local attorney, the manager of the local theatre, an actor, and an older man, a certain Consul Schnabel. He's having an affair with an operetta singer-well, really a chorus girl-there. Those are the regulars. Two weeks ago, Tugut raked in no less than three thousand gulden from Schnabel in a single sitting. We played on the open veranda until six o'clock in the morning, to the musical accompaniment of the morning birds. The hundred and twenty gulden that I still have today I owe only to my endurance-otherwise I'd be totally broke. Tell you what, Otto-I'll bet a hundred of those hundred and twenty for you today. I know the chances of winning aren't overwhelming, but only a few days ago Tugut sat down with only fifty and got up with three thousand. And there is still another point-in the last few months I haven't had any luck at all in love. Maybe we can rely more on the old saying than on people!"

Bogner said nothing.

"Well-what do you think of my idea?" demanded Willi.

Bogner shrugged his shoulders. "Naturally, I thank you-obviously I'm not going to say no-even though ..."

"Of course, I can't make any guarantees," Wilhelm interrupted with an exaggerated vivacity, "but in the end it's not risking very much. And if I win-whatever I win-a thousand of it is yours-at least a thousand. And if I should happen to make an extraordinary killing ..."

"Don't promise too much," said Otto with a melancholy smile. "But I don't want to keep you any longer, for my own sake as well as yours. Tomorrow morning I will permit myself-rather ... I'll wait for you tomorrow at half past seven, over there, near the Alser Church." With a bitter laugh, he continued, "We could have met there by chance." Silencing an attempt at a reply from Willi with a gesture, he added quickly, "Besides, I'm not going to stay idle in the meantime. I still have seventy gulden left. I'll bet those this afternoon at the races-at the ten-kreuzer window, of course."

He crossed over to the window with quick steps and looked into the courtyard of the barracks. "The coast is clear," he said, his mouth twisted into a bitter and sardonic smile. Pulling up his collar, he shook hands with Willi and left.

Willi sighed softly, pondered for a moment, and then hurried to get ready to leave. He wasn't very happy with the condition of his uniform.