ir, and remember you are speaking
to your superior officer, and don't venture to treat my statements with
disrespect hereafter. _I saw it myself!_"

"_You!_" gulped Ross, while amaze and incredulity shot across his
startled face.

"You!" exclaimed others of the group, in evident astonishment and
dismay. Rayner alone looked unchanged. It was no news to him, while to
every other man in the party it was a shock. Up to that instant the
prevailing belief had been, with Ross, that Buxton had found some
garrison gossip and was building an edifice thereon. His positive
statement, however, was too much for the most incredulous.

"Now what have you to say?" he asked, in rude triumph.

There was no answer for a moment; then Ross spoke:

"Of course, Captain Buxton, I withdraw any expression of doubt. It never
occurred to me that you could have seen it. May I ask when and how?"

"The last time I was officer of the day, sir; and Captain Rayner is my
witness as to the time. Others, whom I need not mention, saw it with me.
There is no mistake, sir. The woman was there." And Buxton stood
enjoying the effect.

Ross looked white and dazed. He turned slowly away, hesitated, looked
back, then exclaimed,--

"You are sure it was--it was not some one that had a right to be there?"

"How could it be?" said Buxton, gruffly. "You know he has not an
acquaintance in town, or here, who could be with him there at night."

"Does the commanding officer know of it?" asked Mr. Royce, after a
moment's silence.

"_I_ am the commanding officer, Mr. Royce," said Buxton, with majestic
dignity,--"at least I will be after twelve o'clock; and you may depend
upon it, gentlemen, this thing will not occur while I am in command
without its receiving the exact treatment it deserves. Remember, now,
not a word of this to anybody. You are as much interested as I am in
bringing to justice a man who will disgrace his uniform and his regiment
and insult every lady in the garrison by such an act. This sort of thing
of course will run him out of the service for good and all. We simply
have to be sure of our ground and make the evidence conclusive. Leave
that to me the next time it happens. I repeat, say nothing of this to
any one."

But Rayner had already told his wife.

Just as Major Waldron was driving off to the station that bright April
afternoon and his carriage was whirling through the east gate, the
driver caught sight of Lieutenant Hayne running up Pr