The brilliant young lieutenant, Franz von Heiden, had come to a sudden and shocking end. He was shot dead in a duel. His opponent was a brother officer, a Captain von Frentzen. The “Court of honor” of the regiment had approved of the duel and it was reported that the affair was carried out in accordance with the German code. Later I learned the story. Captain von Frentzen was suddenly attached to the same regiment as Franz. His transfer was a cause of great surprise to the officers and of deep displeasure to them, for the captain had a notorious reputation as a duelist. Naturally the officers, Franz among them, had ignored him, trying to force him out of the regiment. Upon the night of a regimental dance, the situation came to a head. In response to the gesture of a lady’s fan Franz crossed the ball room hurriedly. He was caught in a sudden swirl of dancers and accidentally stepped on Captain von Frentzen’s foot. In the presence of the whole company von Frentzen dealt Franz a stinging slap in the face. “Apparently,” he sneered, “you compel me to teach you manners.” Franz looked at him, amazed and furious. There was nothing that he had done which warranted von Frentzen’s action. It was an outrage—a deadly insult. There was but one thing to do. A duel was arranged. To understand more of this incident you must understand the unyielding code of honor of the German officer. Franz von Heiden’s original offense had been so very slight that even had he refused to apologize to Frentzen the consequences might not have been serious. But Frentzen’s blow given in public was quite a different matter. It was a mortal affront. I heard that Franz’s captain had been in a rage about it. “My best lieutenant,” he had said to the colonel. “An extremely valuable man. To be made to fight a duel with that worthless butcher, von Frentzen. Shameful! God knows that laws are sometimes utterly unreasonable by many of our ideas, as officers are equally senseless. I have racked my brain to find a way out of this difficulty, but it seems impossible. Can’t you do something to interfere?” The colonel looked at him steadily. “Your honest opinion. Is von Heiden’s honor affected by Frentzen’s action?” There was nothing Franz’s captain could do but reply, “Yes.”