"I am very sorry, Mr. de la Molle," said the Colonel, as soon as he
had gone, "more sorry than I can say, that I should have been the
cause of this most unpleasant scene. I also feel that I am placed in a
very false position, and until I produce Mr. Cossey's written apology,
that position must to some extent continue. If I fail to obtain that
apology, I shall have to consider what course to take. In the
meanwhile I can only ask you to suspend your judgment."

CHAPTER XXIII

THE BLOW FALLS

On the following morning, about ten o'clock, while Edward Cossey was
still at breakfast, a dog-cart drew up at his door and out of it
stepped Colonel Quaritch.

"Now for the row," said he to himself. "I hope that the governor was
right in his tale, that's all. Perhaps it would have been wiser to say
nothing till I had made sure," and he poured out some more tea a
little nervously, for in the Colonel he had, he felt, an adversary not
to be despised.

Presently the door opened, and "Colonel Quaritch" was announced. He
rose and bowed a salutation, which the Colonel whose face bore a
particularly grim expression, did not return.

"Will you take a chair?" he said, as soon as the servant had left, and
without speaking Harold took one--and presently began the
conversation.

"Last night, Mr. Cossey," he said, "you thought proper to publicly
bring a charge against me, which if it were true would go a long way
towards showing that I was not a fit person to associate with those
before whom it was brought."

"Yes," said Edward coolly.

"Before making any remarks on your conduct in bringing such a charge,
which I give you credit for believing to be true, I purpose to show to
you that it is a false charge," went on the Colonel quietly. "The
story is a very simple one, and so sad that nothing short of necessity
would force me to tell it. I was, when quite young, engaged to your
aunt, Miss Heston, to whom I was much attached, and who was then
twenty years of age. Though I had little besides my profession, she
had money, and we were going to be married. The circumstances under
which the marriage was broken off were as follow:--Three days before
the wedding was to take place I went unexpectedly to the house, and
was told by the servant that Miss Heston was upstairs in her sitting-
room. I went upstairs to the room, which I knew well, knocked and got
no answer. Then I walked int