Chapter 1
At length I returned from two weeks leave of absence to find that
my patrons had arrived three days ago in Roulettenberg. I received
from them a welcome quite different to that which I had expected. The
General eyed me coldly, greeted me in rather haughty fashion, and dismissed
me to pay my respects to his sister. It was clear that from
SOMEWHERE money had been acquired. I thought I could even detect a
certain shamefacedness in the General\'s glance.