r stiffly.

"Never mind, colonel; leave it. I don't follow all your military
manoeuvres, so I leave them to you. Let the cobbler stick to his last.
There, man, don't look mystified. Let me explain. Roby had bad
concussion of the brain from that first shot. There was no fracture,
but the bone was, so to speak, a little dented down, and the consequence
was that, though he rapidly recovered his health bodily, he did not get
his mental balance quite right at the same time."

"Then you think that charge of his against Lennox was a trifling
aberration that's now over. I hope you are right, doctor; but--"

"But me no buts," said the doctor. "I stake my reputation upon it.
Surely, man, you can see the proof? The poor fellow showed you that he
has not the slightest recollection now of what has been going on since
the expedition to the laager."

"To be sure," said the major. "I see now. That explains it. He talked
as if he thought this was the result of being shot down there."

"To be sure he does. He thinks, too, that Edwards is wounded from a
skirmish with the Boers during the retreat."

"Then there was no nonsense, no unreality, in his display of interest in
poor Lennox?"

"Not a bit. He's delighted with the poor fellow's gallantry, and talks
to me about how much he owes him."

"But his charge of cowardice?"

"Wind, my dear sir; wind. Let it blow away. If any one were to tell
him of it now he would stare with astonishment and ask you if you meant
to insult him. Take my word for it, the hallucination has completely
passed away. The fresh wound, with its loss by haemorrhage, and the
reaction, has acted antagonistically to his mental trouble. He has, so
to speak, stepped mentally from the attack on the Boers to their attack
on us, and as soon as he recovers his strength he'll be as good a man as
ever."

"But when we tell him about his charge?" said the colonel.

"Why tell him, sir? Let it rest. If it ever comes out by accident,
that's quite another thing. The trouble has settled itself, as some
troubles will."

"I wish this one would," said the major, "for I'm getting very sick of
being penned up here on very reduced rations. Have they quite forgotten
us at headquarters?"

"No," said the colonel. "Their hands are full.--Meanwhile, doctor, our
ranks are very thin, so as fast as you can send the poor lads back to
the ranks, let us have them again. The Boers will not let us rest like
this for