spare you this, but
it is too late now. Mr. Lascelles was found lying on the sofa in his
library this morning. He had died hours before, during the night."

And then he had to spring and catch the fainting woman in his arms. She
was still moaning, and only semi-conscious, when the old family doctor
and her brother, Pierre d'Hervilly, arrived.

Half an hour later Cram astonished the aides-de-camp and other bored
staff officials by appearing at the general loafing-room at
head-quarters. To the chorus of inquiry as to what brought him up in
such a storm he made brief reply, and then asked immediately to speak
with the adjutant-general and Lieutenant Reynolds, and, to the disgust
and mystification of all the others, he disappeared with these into an
adjoining room. There he briefly told the former of the murder, and then
asked for a word with the junior.

Reynolds was a character. Tall, handsome, and distinguished, he had
served throughout the war as a volunteer, doing no end of good work, and
getting many a word of praise, but, as all his service was as a staff
officer, it was his general who reaped the reward of his labors. He had
risen, of course, to the rank of major in the staff in the volunteers,
and everybody had prophesied that he would be appointed a major in the
adjutant- or inspector-general's department in the permanent
establishment. But there were not enough places by any means, and the
few vacancies went to men who knew better how to work for themselves.
"Take a lieutenancy now, and we will fix you by and by," was the
suggestion, and so it resulted that here he was three years after the
war wearing the modest strap of a second lieutenant, doing the duties
and accepting the responsibilities of a far higher grade, and being
patronized by seniors who were as much his inferiors in rank as they
were in ability during the war days. Everybody said it was a shame, and
nobody helped to better his lot. He was a man whose counsel was valuable
on all manner of subjects. Among other things, he was well versed in all
that pertained to the code of honor as it existed in the antebellum
days,--had himself been "out," and, as was well known, had but recently
officiated as second for an officer who had need of his services. He and
Waring were friends from the start, and Cram counted on tidings of his
absent subaltern in appealing to him. Great, therefore, was his
consternation when in reply to his inquiry Reynolds promptly a