eft the army because he was
afraid? I should have despised myself as much as I should despise him.
Well, that is my first lesson. I shall not trust in appearances again.
Why, I would rather marry a man like Captain Forster, even if everything
they say about him is true, than a man who is a coward. At least he is
brave, and has shown himself so."

The Doctor had gone away in a state of extreme irritation.

"Confound the meddling scoundrel!" he said to himself, as he surprised
the horse with a sharp cut of the whip. "Just when things were going
on as I wished. I had quite set my mind on it, and though I am sure
Bathurst would never have spoken to her till he had told her himself
about that unfortunate failing of his, it would have been altogether
different coming from his own lips just as he told it to me. Of course,
my lips were sealed and I could not put the case in the right light. I
would give three months' pay for the satisfaction of horsewhipping that
fellow Forster. Still, I can't say he did it maliciously, for he could
not have known Bathurst was intimate there, or that there was anything
between them. The question is, am I to tell Bathurst that she has heard
about it? I suppose I had better. Ah, here is the Major," and he drew up
his horse.

"Anything new, Major? You look put out."

"Yes, there is very bad news, Doctor. A Sowar has just brought a letter
to me from the Colonel saying that the General has got a telegram
that the 19th Native Infantry at Berhampore have refused to use the
cartridges served out to them, and that yesterday a Sepoy of the 34th
at Barrackpore raised seditious cries in front of the lines, and when
Baugh, the adjutant, and the sergeant major attempted to seize him he
wounded them both, while the regiment stood by and refused to aid them.
The 19th are to be disbanded, and no doubt the 34th will be, too."

"That is bad news indeed, Major, and looks as if this talk about general
disaffection were true. Had there been trouble but at one station it
might have been the effect of some local grievance, but happening at
two places, it looks as if it were part of a general plot. Well, we must
hope it will go no farther."

"It is very bad," said the Major, "but at any rate we may hope we shall
have no troubles here; the regiment has always behaved well, and I am
sure they have no reason to complain of their treatment. If the Colonel
has a fault, it is that of over leniency with the men."

"Th