“Did you become an officer?”

“No, fraulein, only a ‘vize-Feldwebel.’”

“Have you fought in a battle?”

“Oh, yes, at Burkersdork, Skalitz, Koniginhof, and Koniggratz.”

“That must have been frightfully interesting.  And have you ever killed one of the enemy?”

“Happily not.  It does not fall to the lot of every soldier to kill a man.  He does his duty if he stands up in his place ready to be killed.”

“Have you any photographs of yourself in uniform?”

He looked at her surprised and said: 

“No, why?”

A roguish smile, which at the last question had curled at the corners of her mouth, broke into a merry laugh.

“I wanted to know whether you marched into battle with your curls, or whether you sacrificed them to the fatherland?”

Wilhelm was not offended, but said simply: 

“Dear young lady, appearances give you the right to make fun—­”

“Ah, don’t be angry, I am ill-mannered.”

“No, no, you are quite right; but, believe me, I only wear my hair long so as to save myself the trouble of going to the hairdresser’s.  If I dared imagine that I should be less insupportable with a tonsure—­”

“For heaven’s sake, don’t think of it, the curls suit you very well.”  She said this with a frivolity of manner which she immediately perceived to be unsuitable, and to get over her embarrassment, she jumped at another subject of conversation.  “So you live quite alone?  That strikes me as being very dreary.  Still you must have many friends?”

“Yes, so-called friends—­comrades from the gymnasium, from the academy, and the university.  But I do not count much on these superficial acquaintances—­I have really only one friend.”

“Who is she”

“He is called Paul Haber, and is Assistant of Chemistry at the Agricultural College.”

“A nice man?”

“Oh, yes.”

“How old is he?”

“About a year older than I am.”

“What is he like?”

Wilhelm smiled.

“I believe he is very good-looking, strong, not very tall, with a fair mustache, otherwise closely shaved, and with short hair, not like me!  He thinks a good deal of appearance, and always knows what sort of ties are worn.  He dances well, and is very pleased if people take him for an officer in civilian’s clothes.  But he is a true soul, and has a heart of gold.  He is clever too, practical, and would do for me as much as I would do for him with all my heart.”

“Hardly one unpleasant word for an absent friend.  That is scarcely as my friends speak of me,” and she quietly added:  “Nor as I speak of my friends.  You make me curious about Herr—­”

“Haber.”

“You must introduce him to us.”

“He would be most happy.”

Loulou now knew more about Wilhelm than she had hitherto known of any man in the world.  Only on one point was she unenlightened, and this she hastened to clear up on the following day, when they were looking for berries in the wood.