share in the coming onset. It was intolerable, shameful. He paced the
floor of his little parlor in nervous misery, ever and anon gazing from
the window for sight of his captain. It was to him he had written,
urging that he be permitted a few moments' talk. "This is no time for a
personal misunderstanding," he wrote. "I must see you at once. I can
clear away the doubts, can explain my action; but, for heaven's sake,
intercede for me with Captain Chester that I may go with the command."

As luck would have it, Armitage was with Chester at the office when the
letter was handed in. He opened it, gave a whistle of surprise, and
simply held it forth to the temporary commander.

"Read that," he said.

Chester frowned, but took the note and looked it curiously over.

"I have no patience with the man now," he said. "Of course after what I
saw last night I begin to understand the nature of his defence; but we
don't want any such man in the regiment, after this. What's the use of
taking him with us?"

"That isn't the point," said Armitage. "Now or never, possibly, is the
time to clear up this mystery. Of course Maynard will be up to join us
by the first train; and what won't it be worth to him to have positive
proof that all his fears were unfounded?"

"Even if it wasn't Jerrold, there is still the fact that I saw a man
clambering out of her window. How is that to be cleared up?" said
Chester, gloomily.

"That may come later, and won't be such a bugbear as you think. If you
were not worried into a morbid condition over all this trouble, you
would not look so seriously upon a thing which I regard as a piece of
mere night prowling, with a possible spice of romance."

"What romance, I'd like to know?"

"Never mind that now: I'm playing detective for the time being. Let me
see Jerrold for you and find out what he has to offer. Then you can
decide. Are you willing? All right! But remember this while I think of
it. You admit that the light you saw on the wall Sunday night was
exactly like that which you saw the night of your adventure, and that
the shadows were thrown in the same way. You thought that night that the
light was turned up and afterwards turned out in her room, and that it
was _her_ figure you saw at the window. Didn't you?"

"Yes. What then?"

"Well, I believe her statement that she saw and heard nothing until
reveille. I believe it was Mrs. Maynard who did the whole thing, without
Miss Renwick's knowing any