{"product_id":"2940016177328","title":"The Prussian Officer and Other Stories","description":"They had marched more than thirty kilometers since dawn, along the\u003cbr\u003ewhite, hot road where occasional thickets of trees threw a moment\u003cbr\u003eof shade, then out into the glare again.  On either hand, the\u003cbr\u003evalley, wide and shallow, glittered with heat; dark green patches\u003cbr\u003eof rye, pale young corn, fallow and meadow and black pine woods\u003cbr\u003espread in a dull, hot diagram under a glistening sky.  But right in\u003cbr\u003efront the mountains ranged across, pale blue and very still, snow\u003cbr\u003egleaming gently out of the deep atmosphere.  And towards the\u003cbr\u003emountains, on and on, the regiment marched between the rye fields\u003cbr\u003eand the meadows, between the scraggy fruit trees set regularly on\u003cbr\u003eeither side the high road.  The burnished, dark green rye threw off\u003cbr\u003ea suffocating heat, the mountains drew gradually nearer and more\u003cbr\u003edistinct.  While the feet of the soldiers grew hotter, sweat ran\u003cbr\u003ethrough their hair under their helmets, and their knapsacks could\u003cbr\u003eburn no more in contact with their shoulders, but seemed instead to\u003cbr\u003egive off a cold, prickly sensation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe walked on and on in silence, staring at the mountains ahead,\u003cbr\u003ethat rose sheer out of the land, and stood fold behind fold, half\u003cbr\u003eearth, half heaven, the heaven, the barrier with slits of soft\u003cbr\u003esnow, in the pale, bluish peaks.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe could now walk almost without pain.  At the start, he had\u003cbr\u003edetermined not to limp.  It had made him sick to take the first\u003cbr\u003esteps, and during the first mile or so, he had compressed his\u003cbr\u003ebreath, and the cold drops of sweat had stood on his forehead.  But\u003cbr\u003ehe had walked it off.  What were they after all but bruises!  He\u003cbr\u003ehad looked at them, as he was getting up: deep bruises on the backs\u003cbr\u003eof his thighs.  And since he had made his first step in the\u003cbr\u003emorning, he had been conscious of them, till now he had a tight,\u003cbr\u003ehot place in his chest, with suppressing the pain, and holding\u003cbr\u003ehimself in.  There seemed no air when he breathed.  But he walked\u003cbr\u003ealmost lightly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Captain's hand had trembled at taking his coffee at dawn: his\u003cbr\u003eorderly saw it again.  And he saw the fine figure of the Captain\u003cbr\u003ewheeling on horseback at the farm-house ahead, a handsome figure in\u003cbr\u003epale blue uniform with facings of scarlet, and the metal gleaming\u003cbr\u003eon the black helmet and the sword-scabbard, and dark streaks of\u003cbr\u003esweat coming on the silky bay horse.  The orderly felt he was\u003cbr\u003econnected with that figure moving so suddenly on horseback: he\u003cbr\u003efollowed it like a shadow, mute and inevitable and damned by it.\u003cbr\u003eAnd the officer was always aware of the tramp of the company\u003cbr\u003ebehind, the march of his orderly among the men.","brand":"WDS Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47081204416752,"sku":"2940016177328","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940016177328_p0.jpg?v=1763630449","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940016177328","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}