"Priest not with girls," went on the captain. "Priest never with girls," he explained to me.
He took my glass and filled it, looking at my eyes all the time, but not losing sight of the priest.
"Priest every night five against one." Every one at the table laughed. "You understand?
Priest every night five against one." He made a gesture and laughed loudly.
The priest accepted it as a joke.
"The Pope wants the Austrians to win the war," the major said. "He loves Franz Joseph.
That's where the money comes from.
I am an atheist."
"Did you ever read the 'Black Pig'?" asked the lieutenant. "I will get you a copy.
It was that which shook my faith."
"It is a filthy and vile book," said the priest. "You do not really like it."
"It is very valuable," said the lieutenant. "It tells you about those priests.
You will like it," he said to me.
I smiled at the priest and he smiled back across the candle-light.
"Don't you read it," he said.
"I will get it for you," said the lieutenant.
"All thinking men are atheists," the major said. "I do not believe in the Free Masons however."
"I believe in the Free Masons," the lieutenant said. "It is a noble organization."
Some one came in and as the door opened I could see the snow falling.
"There will be no more offensive now that the snow has come," I said.
"Certainly not," said the major. "You should go on leave.
You should go to Rome, Naples, Sicily--"
"He should visit Amalfi," said the lieutenant. "I will write you cards to my family in Amalfi.
They will love you like a son."
"He should go to Palermo."
"He ought to go to Capri."
"I would like you to see Abruzzi and visit my family at Capracotta," said the priest.
"Listen to him talk about the Abruzzi.
There's more snow there than here.
He doesn't want to see peasants.
Let him go to centres of culture and civilization."
"He should have fine girls.
I will give you the addresses of places in Naples.
Beautiful young girls--accompanied by their mothers.
Ha! Ha! Ha!"
The captain spread his hand open, the thumb up and fingers outspread as when you make shadow pictures.
There was a shadow from his hand on the wall.
He spoke again in pidgin Italian.
"You go away like this," he pointed to the thumb, "and come back like this," he touched the little finger.
Every one laughed.
"Look," said the captain.
He spread the hand again.
Again the candle-light made its shadows on the wall.
He started with the upright thumb and named in their order the thumb and four fingers, "soto-tenente (the thumb), tenente (first finger), capitano (next finger), maggiore (next to the little finger), and tenentecolonello (the little finger). You go away soto-tenente!
You come back soto-colonello!"
They all laughed.
The captain was having a great success with finger games.
He looked at the priest and shouted,
"Every night priest five against one!" They all laughed again.
"You must go on leave at once," the major said.