Not long after the news of the duel, my tutor sent for me. “Is it not a curious coincidence,” he began, his cold gray eyes boring into mine, “that the last time you were here we spoke of Lieutenant Franz von Heiden? The next time you come to see me he is dead. I understand that certain rumors are in circulation about the way he died. Some of them may have already come to your attention. I caution you to pay no attention whatever to such silly statements. Remember that a Court of Honor of an honorable regiment of the Prussian Guards has vouched for the fact that Lieutenant von Heiden’s quarrel with Captain von Frentzen and the unfortunate duel that followed was conducted in accordance with the officers’ code of the Imperial Army.” I hung my head, sick at heart; but he was relentless. “Remember also,” he said in a pitiless voice, “that men of intelligence never indulge in fruitless gossip, even among themselves. I hope you understand that—by now.” He paused a moment, as if he remembered something. “For some time,” he went on, in the most casual way, “I have been aware that it will be necessary for me to talk to you seriously. Now is as good a time as any. You know that your training for your future career has been put largely in my hands. I am responsible for your progress. The men who have made me responsible require reports about your development. They have not been wholly satisfied with what I was able to tell them. Your intentions are good. You show a certain amount of natural cleverness and adaptability, but you have also disappointed them by being impulsive and indiscreet. “Now,” he said, “I ask you to pay the closest attention to everything I shall say. Your attitude must be changed if you are to go on, and some day be of service to your government. You must learn to treat your work as a deadly serious business—not as a romantic adventure. We were just speaking of von Heiden. I seem to remember vaguely that the last time you were here you had some sort of a cock-and-bull story to tell me of—what was it?—of seeing some secret maps of French fortifications on the unfortunate young man’s table. I could hardly refrain from smiling at the time. Such poppycock! You do not imagine for a moment, do you, that if he had proved himself discreet enough to be intrusted with such highly confidential things, he would have been so imprudent as to betray that fact to a mere casual friend of his little brother? I hope you see how absurd such imaginings are.” I groaned mentally as he continued.