or the german, and that she
herself preferred not to leave her mother at a time when she needed her
care, Mrs. Hoyt and her intimates, with whom she instantly conferred,
decided that there could be no doubt whatever that the colonel knew of
the affair, had forbidden their return, and was only waiting for further
evidence to decide what was to be done with his erring step-daughter.
Women talked with bated breath of the latest stories in circulation, of
Chester's moody silence and preoccupation, of Jerrold's ostracism, and
of Frank Armitage's sudden return.

On Monday morning the captain had quietly appeared in uniform at the
office, and it was known that he had relinquished the remainder of his
leave of absence and resumed command of his company. There were men in
the garrison who well knew that it was because of the mystery
overhanging the colonel's household that Armitage had so suddenly
returned. They asked no questions and sought no explanation. All men
marked, however, that Jerrold was not at the office on Monday, and many
curiously looked at the morning report in the adjutant's office. No, he
was not in arrest; neither was he on sick-report. He was marked present
for duty, and yet he was not at the customary assembly of all the
commissioned officers at head-quarters. More mystery, and most
exasperating, too, it was known that Armitage and Jerrold had held a
brief talk in the latter's quarters soon after Sunday's evening parade,
and that the former had been reinforced for a time by Captain Chester,
with whom he was afterwards closeted. Officers who heard that he had
suddenly returned and was at Chester's went speedily to the latter's
quarters,--at least two or three did,--and were met by a servant at the
door, who said that the gentlemen had just gone out the back way. And,
sure enough, neither Chester nor Armitage came home until long after
taps; and then the colonel's cook told several people that the two
gentlemen had spent over an hour up-stairs in the colonel's and Miss
Alice's room and "was foolin' around the house till near ten o'clock."

Another thing that added to the flame of speculation and curiosity was
this. Two of the ladies, returning from a moonlit stroll on the terrace
just after tattoo, came through the narrow passage-way on the west side
of the colonel's quarters, and there, at the foot of the little flight
of steps leading up to the parade, they came suddenly upon Captain
Chester, who was eviden