noon
Many a mute pressure of the hand told him that they all felt sorry for him , and that they , as much as he himself , thought the treatment to which he had been subjected an act of injustice . The privates , too , pressed up to him to say a word of good-bye . Often he had berated them soundly , but they all knew him as a decent fellow , and as one who had never badgered them unnecessarily . As the noon service drew towards its close , Schmitz went into the stable . What a pang for him ! Never in his life had a thing seemed so hard to him . All the beasts he loved so well turned and craned their necks towards him , leaving the savory hay and their oats for a moment as soon as they heard his voice , and gazing at him with such intelligence as if they appreciated his woe to the full .