“Shut the door,” I commanded quickly.  “Shut the door, and send away any one you may hear outside.  Now, gentlemen, explain yourselves, please.”

Mr. Urquhart and Mr. Mackenzie faced each other across a small table, from which the cloth had been dragged and lay on the floor with a scattered pack of cards.  The elder lad held a couple of cards in his hand; he was white in the face.

“He cheated!” He swung round upon me in a kind of indignant fury, and tapped the cards with his forefinger.

I looked from him to the accused.  Mackenzie’s face was dark, almost purple, rather with rage (as it struck me) than with shame.

“It’s a lie.”  He let out the words slowly, as if holding rein on his passion.  “Twice he’s said so, and twice I’ve called him a liar.”  He drew back for an instant, and then lost control of himself.  “If that’s not enough—.”  He leapt forward, and almost before Captain Murray could interpose had hurled himself upon Urquhart.  The table between them went down with a crash, and Urquhart went staggering back from a blow which just missed his face and took him on the collar-bone before Murray threw both arms around the assailant.

“Mr. Mackenzie,” said I, “you will consider yourself under arrest.  Mr. Urquhart, you will hold yourself ready to give me a full explanation.  Whichever of you may be in the right, this is a disgraceful business, and dishonouring to your regiment and the cloth you wear:  so disgraceful, that I hesitate to call up the guard and expose it to more eyes than ours.  If Mr. Mackenzie”—­I turned to him again—­“can behave himself like a gentleman, and accept the fact of his arrest without further trouble, the scandal can at least be postponed until I discover how much it is necessary to face.  For the moment, sir, you are in charge of Captain Murray.  Do you understand?”

He bent his head sullenly.  “He shall fight me, whatever happens,” he muttered.

I found it wise to pay no heed to this.  “It will be best,” I said to Murray, “to remain here with Mr. Mackenzie until I am ready for him.  Mr. Urquhart may retire to his quarters, if he will—­I advise it, indeed—­but I shall require his attendance in a few minutes.  You understand,” I added significantly, “that for the present this affair remains strictly between ourselves.”  I knew well enough that, for all the King’s regulations, a meeting would inevitably follow sooner or later, and will own I looked upon it as the proper outcome, between gentlemen, of such a quarrel.  But it was not for me, their Colonel, to betray this knowledge or my feelings, and by imposing secrecy I put off for the time all the business of a formal challenge with seconds.  So I left them, and requesting my brother to follow me, mounted to my own room.  The door was no sooner shut than I turned on him.

“Surely,” I said, “this is a bad mistake of Urquhart’s?  It’s an incredible charge.  From all I’ve seen of him, the lad would never be guilty ...”  I paused, expecting his assent.  To my surprise he did not give it, but stood fingering his chin and looking serious.