parade what the nature of the disturbance had been. She, too,
had suggested Clancy, but the officer by her side set his teeth as he
replied that he wished it had been Clancy. She had heard, too, the
message brought by a cavalry trumpeter from Mr. Blake: he wanted Captain
Ray to come to Mr. Hayne's as soon as he had seen Mrs. Ray safely home,
and would he please ask Mrs. Stannard to come with him at the same time?
Why should Mr. Blake want Mrs. Stannard at Mr. Hayne's? She saw Mr.
Foster run up and speak a few words to Mrs. Waldron, and heard that lady
reply, "Certainly. I will go with you now." What could it mean? At last,
as she was returning to her sister's room after a moment's absence, she
heard a question at which her heart stood still. It was Mrs. Rayner who
asked,--

"But the creature was there, was she not?"

The answer sounded more like a moan of anguish:

"The creature was his sister. It was her husband who--"

But, as Captain Rayner buried his battered face in his hands at this
juncture, the rest of the sentence was inaudible. Miss Travers had heard
quite enough, however. She stood there one moment, appalled, dropped
upon the floor the bandage she had been making, turned and sought her
room, and was seen no more that night.

Over the day or two that followed this affair the veil of silence may
best be drawn, in order to give time for the sediment of truth to settle
through the whirlpool of stories in violent circulation. The colonel
came back on the first train after the adjournment of the court, and
could hardly wait for that formality. Contrary to his custom of
"sleeping on" a question, he was in his office within half an hour after
his return to the post, and from that time until near tattoo was busily
occupied taking the statements of the active participants in the affair.
This was three days after its occurrence; and Captain Rayner, though up
and able to be about, had not left his quarters. Mrs. Rayner had
abandoned her trip to the East, for the present at least. Mr. Hayne
still lay weak and prostrate in his darkened room, attended hourly by
Dr. Pease, who feared brain-fever, and nursed assiduously by Mrs.
Hurley, for whom Mrs. Waldron, Mrs. Stannard, and many other ladies in
the garrison could not do enough to content themselves. Mr. Hurley's
wrist was badly sprained and in a sling; but the colonel went purposely
to call upon him and to shake his other hand, and he begged to be
permitted to see Mrs