Military life in Italy : sketches - Societa italiana di storia militare

THE OFFICER OF THE GUARD. 21
the orders for the day, fastened to the wall under the portrait
of the king. He placed his forefinger at the bottom of the sheet
and began to run it
along under the lines, reading rapidly and
masticating the words in an angry and inarticulate way, until
he suddenly stopped and pronounced in a distinct voice:
"'Round in the interior of the quarters at eleven o'clock' Sacre
. . . !
" he added, turning instantly toward the bed and setting
down the candlestick with a bang on the " little table, I was
"
sure of it ! And he stood there erect and immovable, with
his eyes fastened on the pillow and his hands in the act of unbuttoning
his jacket.
" "
The round ! the round ! he began again, slipping the
"
buttons one by one from the button-holes ; after having been
on your feet all day, after having run here and there, up and
down without a minute's rest, and being breathless from shouting
from morning till night, finally the hour comes when you
ought to rest your poor bones in bed, and enjoy a moment's
peace ; but, no, sir ! there 's the round, the round at eleven
o'clock. You ought to take your good lantern in hand and go
around again, poking and screaming about to see if
they are all
in bed, that no one has slipped out of the window, and so on,
as long as necessary. Finally
. . .
Meanwhile he had thrown his jacket
over a chair near the
bed.
" Anyhow, I am made of flesh and blood like the rest, and I
do not intend killing myself in the service. No, not much !
Really one cannot go on in this way, it 's out of the question.
Joking aside, there really is n't time to eat, and that order for
the day proves it too. There is nothing easier ..."
And the trousers nad gone to keep company with the jacket.