At the gangway Karl von Mueller paused. He was the Kapitan-Kommandant of the Emden, and for the moment at least, during the Admiral's absence, senior officer present at Tsingtao. Two paces behind him and obliquely from his left shoulder his tall, thin-faced, blue-eyed, and blond-mustached first officer and executive, Helmuth von Muecke, also stopped abruptly, clicked his heels, and stood stiffly, correctly, at attention. Beside the gangway the marines and side boys, duly prescribed by the regulations, leaped to a like posture, and the officer of the watch saluted smartly.
Von Mueller ran a critical blue-gray eye over them professionally, then returned the watch officer's salute almost perfunctorily, yet with enough hint of a smile to denote his official approval.
"Everything under control, Hans?" he demanded.
"Everything, Herr Kapitan," replied Oberleutnant Hans von Levetzow, second gunnery officer, at the moment saddled with the watch on board. "The usual shore parties have already left the ship. I have the first dog watch. Kapitanleutnant Gropius will have the second. We will both be on duty to check the returns at midnight. We anticipate no difficulty."
"Very good, Herr Oberleutnant," said von Mueller. "But keep your eyes open. Remember, Leutnant Lange is popular with all hands. It might be that some of the men might go a little bit overboard in celebrating—shall we say?—his good fortune."
"I have thought of the possibility, Herr Kapitan." Von Levetzow tried hard to suppress a grin. His brown eyes twinkled, and his round, good-humored face struggled against discipline. "I will not forget it."
"Good!" Von Mueller nodded. "I'm sorry you can't be with us, Hans, but someone must stay on board, and yours seems to have been the short straw."
"Think nothing of it, Herr Kapitan!" This time, von Levetzow smiled openly, since it was evident that the Captain's mood was jocular. "Though I thank you. I have been to weddings before, and somehow I find them not entirely unlike funerals. I prefer to stay where I am."
"In that case, Herr Oberleutnant, you will not mind if we take an extra glass of champagne and kiss the bride for you," von Mueller chuckled. "Come along, Helmuth. We mustn't keep the wedding pair waiting, you know."
At the gates of the dockyard they turned up through the little park toward the brightly lighted church, returning the salutes of Wecke and the band and many of the audience as they went.
"There's no sense in taking a rickshaw for that little distance," von Mueller remarked.
"Scarcely, Kapitan," von Muecke agreed.
"Just be careful not to get your boots dusty," the Captain smiled. "As best man you'll be on display for a few moments."
"Ummm! Ja, ja, Karl! I have not forgotten."
Von Mueller shot him an amused glance. A quartet of passing seamen saluted smartly, demanding their attention for a moment. By the time they had punctiliously returned the men's greeting they had passed beyond the bandstand and the circle of listeners and were not far from the church. The Captain nodded toward it, calling his companion's attention to the colorful crowds climbing up the wide steps, pausing for a moment of greeting at the top, then passing on through the bright doorway. Von Mueller slackened his pace slightly. If there was anything he hated, it was sitting on a hard church pew, squirming and waiting for things to get under way. Tonight it would be even more disquieting, for since he stood in loco parentis to the groom, being his commanding officer, he would be given the front pew on the young man's side, and accordingly, would share the limelight, at least until the appearance of the wedding part)', with the family of the bride, the Baron Governor and Madame von Meyer-Waldeck.
"Apparently you'll have an excellent audience," he remarked.
"So I see!" Von Muecke shrugged resignedly. "They both assured me that it would be a small wedding, and now— look! I wonder what they would call a large one."
"Are you surprised?" von Mueller retorted. "After all, Bunte is a popular boy, and Use is the Governor's daughter as well as a lovely girl in her own right. They both have a host of friends. How could you expect it to be otherwise? Don't tell me you are beginning to get cold feet!"
14
Otto was Leutnant Lange's true given name, but to everyone in the fleet, as well as up and down the China coast, he was better known as "Bunte." He was the youngest officer on board the Emden and a general favorite with all hands.
Von Muecke ran a cautious finger around his immaculate wing collar and gingerly adjusted his black bow tie. "Not just beginning to, Karl," he replied. "You know how I feel about these affairs. I've been so close to one before—and I never will again if I can help it!"
The Captain burst out laughing. "You really believe that? My friend, the whole ship has been talking about your romance with the Englishwoman, Caroline Grey. If what they are saying is true, when she suggests the altar you'll be happy to have the starring role."
"For a confirmed bachelor, Karl, you seem very willing to see me give up my freedom."
"Only because I believe you're so anxious to do so. Helmuth, I'll make you bet—five hundred Marks—Christmas will see you a married man."
For the first time since they had left the ship, von Muecke smiled. "Whatever you say, Karl. It was your suggestion, and you should make the terms. Either way, I will be the winner because if I do marry you will have to give me a suitable present."
They came to the curb, under the lindens along Prinz Heinrich Strasse, opposite the church at the end of the bordered path through the Kronprinzessensplatz. There by unspoken mutual consent they paused to let the traffic in the street before them move on and the crowds on the church steps thin out a little.
Von Muecke rubbed his hands together. It seemed to Karl von Mueller that his executive officer had brightened considerably.
"Well!" said von Muecke. "No use wailing about it. This time, at least, it is theirs—not yours or mine. Let's hope the turnout is a good omen. It should give them a gay send-off, at any rate."
Von Mueller suddenly sobered, remembering the most recent dispatches from Berlin. "Ach, ja!" he said. "Let us hope so—for the omen, anyway. For the send-off—" He shrugged.
"Let us hope it does not come too soon, that it does not postpone their lives together!"
The exec looked at him quickly. "You have heard something?"
Von Mueller shook his head. "Only that the situation continues tense in Europe," he replied. "Austria, Serbia, France, and Russia, England—even ourselves—are calling one another diplomatic names and making threats. It seems to be getting worse, though I don't see how the situation can deteriorate much further without war. If that happens, then our bride and groom may have a short honeymoon!"
"Ach! These diplomats!" von Muecke scoffed. "They will bristle a bit and then settle it among themselves. You will see!"
Von Mueller shrugged. "Let's hope so. But don't forget that our own orders for Yangtze patrol have already been canceled. That is a small thing, but it is a straw to show how the wind blows. The Kaiserin Elizabeth is another."
"Oh, but that is just a courtesy' call!" von Muecke exclaimed.
"It is nothing of the sort, and you know it, Helmuth!" the Captain retorted. "The Austrians are more than a little afraid of war with Russia, and they prefer to be here among friends if it comes, rather than out on the open sea!"
"Nonsense!" von Muecke scoffed. "They are playboys, all of them, these Austrians. You know that, Karl. They come here to drink our champagne and eat our caviar and flirt with our women. That is more fun for them than sailing on an empty ocean!"
"I hope you are right, Helmuth, but only time will tell. Perhaps the Governor will have some more recent news for us. He is in closer touch with Berlin than I am. Come! Let us go. The crowd is thinning, and they are probably ready for us. You—have the ring?"