dgment.

"What were you about to ask?" said he.

"Do you know anything about the antecedents of that new company clerk of
Captain Devers?" asked the adjutant, thus authorized.

"Nothing whatever," said Cranston, wheeling round in his chair and
looking curiously at the big infantryman.

"Well,--pardon me, Mr. Davies. Had you never met or known him?"

"Never, except that he was one of the party of recruits I came out with
last summer."

"But you knew Brannan, did you not?"

"Yes, he was the man who handled a nozzle with me in showering a pack of
rioters among the recruits last June."

"But I mean you knew him before that, did you not?"

"Never," answered Davies, in surprise. "I never saw him in my life."

And then Leonard in turn reddened and looked confused, and shut his jaws
like a clam.

"Orderly," sang out the colonel, "go and give my compliments to Captain
Devers, and say I wish to see him." Then, turning to Cranston, "We may
as well get to the bottom of this business right here and now. I hate
trickery."

CHAPTER XV.

But, as on more than one previous occasion, Captain Devers was not
immediately to be found. He was not at his quarters, not at the store
nor the stables. Mr. Hastings said later that just after Cranston and
Davies went to the adjutant's office, Devers came from his house and
went over to the barracks. Sergeant Haney did not know where the captain
had gone. Not until 10.30 o'clock did the orderly succeed in finding
him, coming up the bluff from the river bottom, whither he had ridden,
he said, to look over the prospective ice crop. By that time Pegleg was
tired of waiting and had dismissed his visitors. They, however, were
recalled in a minute, and when Captain Devers was made acquainted with
Mr. Davies's positive denial of his allegations, Captain Devers promptly
shifted the responsibility to the shoulders of the attendant, Private
Paine, who had persisted, he said, in his story despite his, Devers's,
incredulity and stringent cross-examination. Bang went Pegleg's fist on
the bell. "Send for Private Paine, Troop 'A,'" said he. "I'm bound to
get to the bottom of this at once." And then while the orderly was gone
he began pacing the floor, occasionally stopping to drum on the
frost-covered window. Leonard shifted his seat to Cranston's side and
entered into low-toned chat with him and Davies, though neither seemed
in mood to talk. A natural question that had risen to their lips wa