o it that Mr. Willett was informed of what Lilian had done and
suffered on his account, if she did not dilate on what Lilian had
betrayed.) And then came his very properly worded plea to be allowed to
see her and thank her; and when there was equally proper demur on Mrs.
Archer's part, Willett made his avowal in what even the mother held to
be manly and convincing fashion, for, now that she knew that her
darling's heart was gone--that it was too late to avert the
inevitable--mother-like, she strove to see with her darling's eyes all
that was good in him, and there was so _very_ much that was
good-looking. She never even hinted to her husband, much less to
Lilian, that she had heard the paragon most vehemently accused of most
unmanly and unbecoming conduct (for what was Mr. Case, after all, but
an irresponsible inebriate?), and she saw that her daughter's happiness
was wrapped up in this brilliant and most presentable young soldier.
Willett certainly gave many a promise of eminence in his career and
profession, so she set herself at once to work to talk the general into
complaisance, and he, who loved her with all his heart, and believed
her the best, the bravest, fondest, truest wife in all the army (as
indeed she might have been without being the wisest), and who could
deny Lilian nothing from the time she turned his best silken sash into
a swing for herself and Wauwataycha Two Bears, her tiny Sioux playmate,
till now that she had set her heart on one Harold Willett for a
husband, broke down and surrendered as ordered. But there was that in
the old soldier's face as he took Willett's hand that made the junior
wince more than did the grip, which was mild enough. "She will be just
such another wife as is her blessed mother," said Archer. "Be good and
true to her, Willett."

"I will, so help me God!" said Willett solemnly, and then, at least, he
meant it.

There had been an awkward little conference, an impromptu affair, at
the mess the morning after the alarm of fire. Willett stock had been
running down before that episode, and went "plumb out of sight" for
several hours. It was held by Bonner, Bucketts, Briggs and Strong a
most womanish thing on his part to have raised such a row and then
"wilted." It was Bentley, the most disgusted man at the post, who now
came to the rescue. "He was dumped on the porch like a sack of
potatoes," said he, "and probably suffered exquisite pain, let alone
the burns and the shock." Then,