ssibly be your wife--and
so she's gone.'

'You sent her off?'

'Well, I did.'

'John!--Tell me right through--tell me!'

'Perhaps I had better,' said the trumpet-major, his blue eyes resting on
the far distant sea, that seemed to rise like a wall as high as the hill
they sat upon.

And then he told a tale of Miss Johnson and the --th Dragoons which wrung
his heart as much in the telling as it did Bob's to hear, and which
showed that John had been temporarily cruel to be ultimately kind. Even
Bob, excited as he was, could discern from John's manner of speaking what
a terrible undertaking that night's business had been for him. To
justify the course he had adopted the dictates of duty must have been
imperative; but the trumpet-major, with a becoming reticence which his
brother at the time was naturally unable to appreciate, scarcely dwelt
distinctly enough upon the compelling cause of his conduct. It would,
indeed, have been hard for any man, much less so modest a one as John, to
do himself justice in that remarkable relation, when the listener was the
lady's lover; and it is no wonder that Robert rose to his feet and put a
greater distance between himself and John.

'And what time was it?' he asked in a hard, suppressed voice.

'It was just before one o'clock.'

'How could you help her to go away?'

'I had a pass. I carried her box to the coach-office. She was to follow
at dawn.'

'But she had no money.'

'Yes, she had; I took particular care of that.' John did not add, as he
might have done, that he had given her, in his pity, all the money he
possessed, and at present had only eighteen-pence in the world. 'Well,
it is over, Bob; so sit ye down, and talk with me of old times,' he
added.

'Ah, Jack, it is well enough for you to speak like that,' said the
disquieted sailor; 'but I can't help feeling that it is a cruel thing you
have done. After all, she would have been snug enough for me. Would I
had never found out this about her! John, why did you interfere? You
had no right to overhaul my affairs like this. Why didn't you tell me
fairly all you knew, and let me do as I chose? You have turned her out
of the house, and it's a shame! If she had only come to me! Why didn't
she?'

'Because she knew it was best to do otherwise.'

'Well, I shall go after her,' said Bob firmly.

'You can do as you like,' said John; 'but I would advise you strongly to
leave matters where they are.'

'I won'