She was my wife. I wanted her. Anything strange in that?"

"No. But when we came to you at your place, why did you run away from
us?"

"I hadn't had a good look at her then. I thought it best to keep out of
the way."

"Why weren't you willing to come to the post and let the whole thing be
explained?"

Imbrie's face suddenly turned dark with rage. He burst out, scarcely
coherently: "I'll tell you that! And you can all digest it! A fat chance
I'd have had among you! A fat chance I have now of getting a fair
hearing! If she came all this way to find me, it's clear she wanted to
make up, isn't it? Yet when she saw me, she turned away. She'd been
travelling with you too long. You'd put your spell on her. You said
she'd lost her memory. Bunk! Looks more like hypnotism to me. You wanted
her for yourself. That's the whole explanation of this case. You've got
nothing on me. You only want to railroad me so that the way will be
clear for you with her. Why, when I was bound up they made love to each
other before my very face. Isn't that true?"

"I am not under examination just now," said Stonor coldly.

"Answer me as a man, isn't it true?"

"No, it's a damned lie!"

"Well, if it had been me, I would!" cried the little Major.

Sergeant Lambert concealed a large smile behind his large hand.

Stonor, outwardly unmoved, said: "May I ask the woman one more question,
sir, before I lay a charge against the man?"

"Certainly."

Stonor addressed the woman. "You say you are unmarried?"

"Yes."

"What are you doing with a wedding-ring?"

"It's my mother's ring. She gave it to me when she died."

"Tole," said Stonor, "take that ring off and hand it to me." To the
Major he added in explanation: "Wedding-rings usually have the initials
of the contracting parties and the date."

"Of course!"

The ring was removed and handed to Stonor.

Examining it he said: "There is an inscription here, sir. It is: 'J.I.
to A.A., March 3rd, 1886.' It stands to reason this woman's mother was
married long before 1886."

"She was married twice," muttered the woman.

Stonor laughed.

"What do you make of it, Sergeant?" asked the Major.

"John Imbrie to Annie Alexander."

"Then you suspect----?"

"That this woman is the man's mother, sir. It first occurred to me last
night."

"By George! there is a certain likeness."

All those in the tent stared at the two prisoners in astonishment. The
couple bore it with sullen inscrutability.