man to find himself by reason of illness suddenly
stripped of the robe of command and forced to become only a lay figure,
but it is harder yet to many a woman whose social powers were dependent
mainly upon the rank of her husband to see herself, through his
prostration, suddenly set aside as though of only vicarious consequence.
Naturally, Mrs. Stone could not bear Captain Devers,--few of the women
could,--and it was only through his own wife that the gossip of the
garrison was apt to reach him, and Mrs. Devers had troubles of her own
that seemed to stifle to a great extent her interest in those of her
neighbors. She was neither young nor pretty; she shone not in society
and had no great ambition in that direction. She had seen Mr. Willett's
devotions to Mrs. Davies,--as who had not?--but with only languid
interest. Such things concerned her less than they did those belles of
the active list, who felt themselves thereby defrauded of attentions
that had been quite lavishly, even if impartially, bestowed up to the
time of Mrs. Davies's dawning on the social horizon. Actually,
therefore, Captain Devers was not so much to blame as Langston thought,
for of his own regiment only one officer was present to advise him, and
Hastings's advice, as that officer had long since been informed, would
be asked for when desired. In point of fact only three officers remained
at the post for whose opinions Devers entertained any respect, Leonard,
Rooke, and the chaplain, and he had quarrelled with the first and
second, and treated with indignity the third, so that no one of the
three now felt disposed to confer with him on any subject. This would
not have deterred the chaplain in a matter of duty, however, for that
honest and stalwart soldier of the cross was as ready to battle with
himself as he was to take issue with the devil, but the chaplain had
been absent for long days, and returned only when it was supposed that
Mira would be whisked away to the agency with the Cranstons, and, safe
in Percy's sheltering arms, be beyond the reach of harm or temptation.

There were other reasons, however, for Devers's inaction, and grave
ones. Ever since the ominous visit of the staff officer from division
head quarters he had felt that the ground was caving beneath his feet.
For years had he been skimming along on the very verge of serious
trouble, yet ever adroitly evading trial; always incurring censure, but
escaping court-martial. One after anoth