."

"It was the closest miss that they did not. When they hove in sight I
was actually standing in front of our masterpiece, with my back to the
road; calling orders to Archelaus and Treacher, who were at work
stuffing _them_ (so to speak) with straw. I fancy they have forgotten,
on Garrison Hill, to guard against surprises. At any rate, we should
have been taken in a highly unsoldier-like fashion if Mrs. Treacher
hadn't kept her eye lifting. She gave the alarm, and we scuttled into
the bushes like rabbits, and watched while she held the gate. What is
more, I believe she would have fended off the danger if Sergeant
Archelaus hadn't sneezed; and then--oh, then!--" Vashti paused, her
eyes brimful of laughter.

"He broke cover?"

"I snatched at the tail of his tunic--hastily, I will admit--but until
he had stepped past me I had no idea he meant to be so foolish. It came
away in my hand. They heard the noise it made in ripping."

"But they did not see you?"

"No; for seeing that the mischief was done Sergeant Treacher stepped
out too. You should have heard them explaining to Miss Gabriel! But
they were quite brave and determined. They told me afterwards that
rather than allow one of the visitors to enter and catch sight of me
they would have picked up all three and carried them outside the
garrison gate."

"The Lord Proprietor will certainly hear of this," said the Commandant,
musing.

Vashti, who had bent to pin the sheet closer, lifted her head and
regarded him with a puzzled frown; then, averting her eyes, let them
travel under the foot of the sail towards the sunset.

"Decidedly the Lord Proprietor will hear of it," she said, after an
interval during which he almost forgot that he had spoken. "Indeed, if
it will help to get you, or Archelaus, or anyone out of a scrape, I
propose to call on him to-morrow and confess all. Do you think he will
be lenient?"

There was a shade of contempt in the question, and it called a flush to
the Commandant's cheek. He was about to answer, but checked himself and
sat silent, looking down at the foam that ran by the boat's gunwale.

"He must be worth visiting, too; that is, if one may reconstruct him
from--from them."

The Commandant smiled. "My dear lady, you have already made one attempt
to reconstruct him from them."

Vashti pondered awhile, her chin resting on her hand and her eyes yet
fixed upon the sunset.

"I give you fair warning that I am here on a holiday," she