- And then the crap hits the fan, as we find out in retrospect.
- A bunch of officers are standing around trying to get Nikolai to apologize to the regimental commander.
- Apparently, Mr. Diplomacy just went up to the head of the regiment in front of all the other bigwigs and blurted out all the stuff about Telyanin and the theft. Then, the regimental commander, trying to save face for everyone, called Nikolai a liar. Then Nikolai went off on the regimental commander (who, remember, is way above of him in rank).
- Now the regiment is at an impasse, as another experienced officer is telling Nikolai.
- Basically, it’s all well and good for him to be hot and bothered because he got called a liar, but in reality, this kind of scandal would taint the whole regiment. It will just have to be hushed up.
- Telyanin has already been removed, but now Nikolai has to apologize for insulting the regimental commander and to stop being all indignant.
- At first Nikolai can’t imagine having to sacrifice his own personal sense of honor, but then he sees the error of his ways and starts to cry.
- Aww.
- And just as everyone is starting to put this behind them, a messenger comes to announce that the regiment will start marching to Austria ASAP to join the Austrian army.
- Woo-hoo! Everyone gets excited that this actual war will put an end to the kind of nonsense drama that happens when a bunch of young guys just bum around one place for too long with nothing to do.