“I have, have I?  By God, sir, I’ll teach you better manners before we get through with this question.  Do you know who saw the carriage, and who saw the woman, both at Hayne’s quarters?”

“Certainly I don’t!  What I don’t understand is how you should have been made the recipient of the story.”

“Mr. Ross, just govern your tongue, sir, and remember you are speaking to your superior officer, and don’t venture to treat my statements with disrespect hereafter. I saw it myself!”

“You!” gulped Ross, while amaze and incredulity shot across his startled face.

“You!” exclaimed others of the group, in evident astonishment and dismay.  Rayner alone looked unchanged.  It was no news to him, while to every other man in the party it was a shock.  Up to that instant the prevailing belief had been, with Ross, that Buxton had found some garrison gossip and was building an edifice thereon.  His positive statement, however, was too much for the most incredulous.

“Now what have you to say?” he asked, in rude triumph.

There was no answer for a moment; then Ross spoke: 

“Of course, Captain Buxton, I withdraw any expression of doubt.  It never occurred to me that you could have seen it.  May I ask when and how?”

“The last time I was officer of the day, sir; and Captain Rayner is my witness as to the time.  Others, whom I need not mention, saw it with me.  There is no mistake, sir.  The woman was there.”  And Buxton stood enjoying the effect.

Ross looked white and dazed.  He turned slowly away, hesitated, looked back, then exclaimed,—­

“You are sure it was—­it was not some one that had a right to be there?”

“How could it be?” said Buxton, gruffly.  “You know he has not an acquaintance in town, or here, who could be with him there at night.”

“Does the commanding officer know of it?” asked Mr. Royce, after a moment’s silence.

“I am the commanding officer, Mr. Royce,” said Buxton, with majestic dignity,—­“at least I will be after twelve o’clock; and you may depend upon it, gentlemen, this thing will not occur while I am in command without its receiving the exact treatment it deserves.  Remember, now, not a word of this to anybody.  You are as much interested as I am in bringing to justice a man who will disgrace his uniform and his regiment and insult every lady in the garrison by such an act.  This sort of thing of course will run him out of the service for good and all.  We simply have to be sure of our ground and make the evidence conclusive.  Leave that to me the next time it happens.  I repeat, say nothing of this to any one.”

But Rayner had already told his wife.

Just as Major Waldron was driving off to the station that bright April afternoon and his carriage was whirling through the east gate, the driver caught sight of Lieutenant Hayne running up Prairie Avenue, waving his hand and shouting to him.  He reined in his spirited bays with some difficulty, and Hayne finally caught up with them.