“Lieutenant Blake?” he asked, as he glanced around.

“What is it?” asked Blake, stepping quickly from the window.

“The commanding officer’s compliments, sir, and could he see the lieutenant one minute before the court meets?”

“Coming at once,” said Blake, as he pushed his way through the chairs, and the orderly faced about and disappeared.

“I’ll bet it’s about Hayne,” was the apparently unanimous sentiment as the cavalry party broke up and scattered for the morning’s duties.  Some waited purposely to hear.

The adjutant alone stood in the colonel’s presence as Blake knocked and entered.  All others had gone.  There was a moment’s hesitation, and the colonel paused and looked his man over before he spoke: 

“You will excuse my sending for you, Mr. Blake, when I tell you that it is a matter that has to be decided at once.  In this case you will consider, too, that I want you to say yes or no exactly as you would to a comrade of your own grade.  If you were asked to meet Mr. Hayne at any other house in the garrison than mine, would you desire to accept?  You are aware of all the circumstances, the adjutant tells me.”

“I am, sir, and have just announced my intention of calling upon him.”

“Then will you dine with us this evening to meet Mr. Hayne?”

“I will do so with pleasure, sir.”

* * * * *

It could hardly have been an hour afterwards when Mrs. Rayner entered the library in her cosey home and found Miss Travers entertaining herself with a book.

“Have you written to Mr. Van Antwerp this morning?” she asked.  “I thought that was what you came here for.”

“I did mean to, but Mrs. Waldron has been here, and I was interrupted.”

“It is fully fifteen minutes since she left, Nellie.  You might have written two or three pages already; and you know that all manner of visitors will be coming in by noon.”

“I was just thinking over something she told me.  I’ll write presently.”

“Mrs. Waldron is a woman who talks about everything and everybody.  I advise you to listen to her no more than you can help.  What was it she told you?”

Miss Travers smiled roguishly:  “Why should you want to know, Kate, if you disapprove of her revelations?”

“Oh,” with visible annoyance, “it is to—­I wanted to know so as to let you see that it was something unfounded, as usual.”

“She said she had just been told that the colonel was going to give a dinner-party this evening to Mr. Hayne.”

“What?”

“She—­said—­she—­had—­just—­been—­told—­that—­the colonel—­was going—­to give—­a dinner-party—­this evening—­to Mr.—­Hayne.”

“Who told her?”

“Kate, I didn’t ask.”

“Who are invited?  None of ours?”

“Kate, I don’t know.”

“Where did she say she had heard it?”