“These people resisted my guards, and had to take the consequences,” said Buxton, with surly—­yet shaken—­dignity.

“What were the guards doing here?  What, in God’s name, are you doing here?” demanded Blake, forgetful of all consideration of rank and command in the face of such evident catastrophe.

“I ordered them here,—­to enter and search.”

A pause.

“Search what?—­what for?”

“For—­a woman I had reason to believe he had brought out here from town.”

“What? You infernal idiot!  Why, she’s his own sister, and this gentleman’s wife!”

The silence, broken only by the hard breathing of some of the excited men and the moaning cry of the woman, was for a moment intense.

“Isn’t this Mr. Hurley?” asked Blake, suddenly, as though to make sure, and turning one instant from his furious glare at his superior officer.  The stranger, still held, though no longer struggling, replied between his set teeth,—­

“Certainly.  I’ve told him so.”

“By heaven, Buxton, is there no limit to your asininity?  What fearful work will you do next?”

“I’ll arrest you, sir, if you speak another disrespectful word!” thundered Buxton, recovering consciousness that as commanding officer he could defend himself against Blake’s assault.

“Do it and be——­ you know what I would say if a lady were not present!  Do it, if you think you can stand having this thing ventilated by a court.  Pah!  I can’t waste words on you.  Who’s gone for the doctor?  Here, you men, let go of Mr. Hurley now.  Help me, Mr. Hurley, please.  Get your wife back to her room.  Bring me some water, one of you.”  And with that he was bending over Hayne and unbuttoning the fatigue-uniform in which he was still dressed.  Another moment, and the doctor had come in, and with him half the young officers of the garrison.  Rayner was led away to his own quarters.  Buxton, dazed and frightened now, ordered the guards back to their post, and stood pondering over the enormity of his blunder.  No one spoke to him or paid the faintest attention other than to elbow him out of the way occasionally.  The doctor never so much as noticed him.  Blake had briefly recounted the catastrophe to those who first arrived, and as the story went from mouth to mouth it grew no better for Buxton.  Once he turned short on Mr. Foster and in aggrieved and sullen tone remarked,—­

“I thought you fellows in the Riflers said he had no relations.”

“We weren’t apt to be invited to meet them if he had; but I don’t know that anybody was in position to know anything about it.  What’s that got to do with this affair, I’d like to hear?”

At last somebody took him home.  Mrs. Waldron, meantime, had arrived and been admitted to Mrs. Hurley’s room.  The doctor refused to go to Captain Rayner’s, even when a messenger came from Mrs. Rayner herself.  He referred her to his assistant, Dr. Grimes.  Hayne had regained consciousness, but was sorely shaken.  He had been floored by a blow from the butt of a musket; but the report that he was shot proved happily untrue.  His right hand still lay near the hilt of his light sword:  there was little question that he had raised his weapon against a superior officer and would have used it with telling effect.