Not until his footsteps had died out of hearing did Chester speak: 

“How soon can you leave the post?”

“I don’t understand you.”

“How soon can you pack up what you need to take and—­get away?”

“Get away where?  What on earth do you mean?”

“You must know what I mean!  You must know that after last night’s work you quit the service at once and forever.”

“I don’t know anything of the kind; and I defy you to prove the faintest thing.”  But Jerrold’s fingers were twitching, and his eyes had lost their light.

“Do you suppose I did not recognize you?” asked Chester.

“When?—­where?” gulped Jerrold.

“When I seized you and you struck me!”

“I never struck you.  I don’t know what you mean.”

“My God, man, let us end this useless fencing.  The evidence I have of your last night’s scoundrelism would break the strongest record.  For the regiment’s sake,—­for the colonel’s sake,—­let us have no public scandal.  It’s awful enough as the thing stands.  Write your resignation, give it to me, and leave,—­before breakfast if you can.”

“I’ve done nothing to resign for.  You know perfectly well I haven’t.”

“Do you mean that such a crime—­that a woman’s ruin and disgrace—­isn’t enough to drive you from the service?” asked Chester, tingling in every nerve and longing to clinch the shapely, swelling throat in his clutching fingers.  “God of heaven, Jerrold! are you dead to all sense of decency?”

“Captain Chester, I won’t be bullied this way.  I may not be immaculate, but no man on earth shall talk to me like this!  I deny your insinuations.  I’ve done nothing to warrant your words, even if—­if you did come sneaking around here last night and find me absent.  You can’t prove a thing.  You——­”

“What!  When I saw you,—­almost caught you!  By heaven!  I wish the sentry had killed you then and there.  I never dreamed of such hardihood.”

“You’ve done nothing but dream.  By Jove, I believe you’re sleepwalking yet.  What on earth do you mean by catching and killing me?  ’Pon my soul I reckon you’re crazy, Captain Chester.”  And color was gradually coming back again to Jerrold’s face, and confidence to his tone.

“Enough of this, Mr. Jerrold.  Knowing what you and I both know, do you refuse to hand me your resignation?”

“Of course I do.”

“Do you mean to deny to me where I saw you last night?”

“I deny your right to question me.  I deny anything,—­everything.  I believe you simply thought you had a clue and could make me tell.  Suppose I was out last night.  I don’t believe you know the faintest thing about it.”

“Do you want me to report the whole thing to the colonel?”

“Of course I don’t.  Naturally, I want him to know nothing about my being out of quarters; and it’s a thing that no officer would think of reporting another for.  You’ll only win the contempt of every gentleman in the regiment if you do it.  What good will it do you?—­Keep me from going to town for a few days, I suppose.  What earthly business is it of yours, anyway?”