d he make now, what apology could he offer for this
late transaction, this conspiracy at once so evident and palpable? As
far as the question of his guilt was concerned there would be little
conjecture about that. Ten or twenty accounts of the venture,
inconsistent with one another and with themselves, would be circulated
simultaneously. Of that he had no doubt. People would neither know nor
care about the evidence. It was enough that he had been implicated.

He would ask for a court-martial. That, of course. Through no other
tribunal could a just and a satisfactory decision be reached, and it was
paramount that another verdict besides that pronounced by public opinion
be obtained. Unquestionably, he would be acquitted. His past service,
his influence, his character would prove themselves determining factors
during his trial. Fully one-half of the charges were ridiculous and
would be thrown out of court as incontestable, and of the remainder only
one would find him technically culpable. Still it were better for a
court to decide upon these matters, and to that end he decided to
request a general court-martial.

III

"You have removed your uniform?" Peggy asked in surprise as she beheld
him entering the doorway of the drawing-room.

"Yes," was the solemn reply. "I am no longer a confederate of France."

He limped slowly across the room, leaning on his cane. He had laid aside
his buff and blue uniform, with the epaulets and sword knots, and was
clad in a suit of silken black. His hose and shoes were of the same
color, against which his blouse, cuffs and periwig were emphasized, a
pale white.

"But you are still a Major-General," she corrected.

"I was; but am no longer. I have resigned."

She started at the announcement. Obviously she had not anticipated this
move.

"You have resigned? When?"

"I wrote the letter a short time ago. I precluded their designs."

He sat in his great chair, and, reaching for his stool, placed his foot
upon it.

"But ... I ... I don't understand."

"I do perfectly. I shall be tried by court-martial, of course; they have
moved already to suspend me pending the course of my trial. I want to
anticipate any such possibility, that is all."

"But you will be reinstated?"

"I don't know,--nor care," he added.

"And what about us, our home, our life here," she asked with a marked
concern.

"Oh! That will go on. This is your house, remember, if it comes to the
worst; you are mis