Only for the hope that he might some time rejoin his family, and that other hope which had lately arisen in his mind, he would have gone mad. He never tried to avoid any exposure, but the bullets which laid low so many of his companions seemed to avoid him, and he never had a scratch. His wild companions, who had alternately abused and laughed at him, at last began to respect the silent man who never shrank from any danger or evaded any duty or hesitated to help a comrade in trouble, but who absolutely refused to soil his hands with cruelty or plunder. Some of them even whispered that he was under the protection of some superior power; whether heavenly or not they could not tell. Caspar was early at his work the morning after the accident with the screen. He had a shrewd guess that his clever assistant with the brown wig would not appear again, and he had therefore brought with him one of his own companions. The carpenter had mended the broken screen, and the light wire lattice was once more fixed in its place when Major André appeared on the scene with Caspar's old officer and enemy, Captain Burger. Burger had always striven hard to assume and support the character of a fine gentleman. He had once held a very doubtful position in one of the very smallest of German courts. He had been the humble companion of the youthful heir-apparent, and had there learned a little French, a little music, and a good deal about kings and queens, princes and princesses. He knew how to fence and to dance; and being big and tall, with a yellow moustache and a great deal of assurance, he believed himself quite irresistible. He had been one of the great promoters of the Mischianza, which most of his companions openly ridiculed, and he had tried hard to be made one of the "Knights of the Blended Rose," but that honour was denied him. "Well done, smith," cried Major André as Caspar paused in his work and gravely saluted the two officers. "You have lost no time, I see, and you have done your work well." Caspar bowed gravely. "But I see you have a new assistant," continued Major André. "What has become of our Yankee friend?" "I have not seen him," answered Caspar. "I thought he might be too much hurt to work, and therefore, not to lose time, I brought one of my own comrades along." "You are a clever fellow," said André, examining the work. "You ought to be something more than a common smith." Caspar bowed again. "Why, what a dumb fish you are, man!" said the good-natured major. "For a man that speaks English so well as you do, you are wonderfully chary of your words." "We have a proverb which says that silence is a safe game," said Caspar, not unmoved by the kindly manner of the handsome young Englishman and smiling in his turn. Captain Burger looked at Reinhart as he spoke, and recognized him.