"Sir Mark Frayne left the mess-table, sir, when the news came of that
man being found in the hop-field, and went to lie down, sir; but his man
says he went out about a quarter of an hour after _in mufti_, sir, and
with a little Gladstone bag. Sergeant at the station, sir--provost--saw
him leave by the up train at eight."

"That will do," said his master, and the colonel and the major rose to
go.

"Looks bad, gentlemen," continued the colonel of the 310th. "A nasty
scandal to have in one's corps!"

"Yes; but I don't think we want any more confirmation. That Gladstone
bag and the train are enough."

"And if he had been a gentleman," said the major hotly, "he would have
had the door of his quarters locked."

"How will it all end?" muttered the colonel. "Ah, well! there are black
sheep in every flock, even if they hide their wool under our uniform."

CHAPTER FORTY ONE.

"HALT!"

"Why, it was plain enough," said Jerry, one day as he sat by Richard's
bed. "He'd made all his plans and led you on out there on purpose."

"Nonsense, man!"

"Ah, you may call it nonsense, if you like, because you don't see
through it now no more than you did then."

"Of course I don't. When once you take a dislike to a man, you see
nothing but evil in him. You invent things."

"Oh, do I!" cried Jerry. "Never mind. I couldn't invent so much
wickedness as he's got in him, if I tried all night. Now, just let me
ask you two or three questions."

"Go on then," said Dick, wearily.

"Here goes then. You know your cousin to be in the habit of going out
grassing and taking walks up Constitootion Hill for training hisself?"

"Well, no, Jerry, I never did."

"Never found him fond o' buttercups and daisies, or prospects and views
and that sort o' thing?"

"No."

"Nor yet taking six or seven or eight-mile walks to get himself a
happetite?"

"Never."

"Then don't it seem a little strange as he should have done it that day
and walked on and on, and never once made out that you were close behind
him all the time?"

"It did seem strange to me once or twice. In fact, I felt pretty
certain that he saw me."

"Oh, no; not likely," said Jerry, with a derisive grin. "He's too nice
and innocent a young gentleman as to think that sooner or later you'd be
making him give up the title and the money. He wasn't likely to say to
himself, `I'll walk right away into the lonesomest place I can find, and
coax him on and on till I g