And in an hour more Armitage was skimming along the winding river-side en route to Sibley.  He had searched the train from pilot to rear platform, and no man who in the faintest degree resembled Mr. Jerrold was on board.  He had wired to Chester that he would reach the fort that evening, but would not resume duty for a few days.  He made another search through the train as they neared the city, and still there was no one who in stature or appearance corresponded with the descriptions given him of the sinewy visitor.

Late in the afternoon Chester received him as he alighted from the train at the little station under the cliff.  It was a beautiful day, and numbers of people were driving or riding out to the fort, and the high bridge over the gorge was constantly resounding to the thunder of hoofs.  Many others, too, had come out on the train; for the evening dress-parade always attracted a swarm of visitors.  A corporal of the guard, with a couple of men, was on hand to keep vigilant eye on the arrivals and to persuade certain proscribed parties to re-enter the cars and go on, should they attempt to revisit the post, and the faces of these were lighted up as they saw their old adjutant; but none others of the garrison appeared.

“Let us wait a moment and get these people out of the way,” said Armitage.  “I want to talk with you.  Is Jerrold back?”

“Yes.  He came in just ten minutes after I telegraphed to you, was present at inspection, and if it had not been for your despatch this morning I should not have known he had remained out of quarters.  He appeared to resent my having been to his quarters,—­calls it spying, I presume.”

“What permission had he to be away?”

“I gave him leave to visit town on personal business yesterday afternoon.  He merely asked to be away a few hours to meet friends in town, and Mr. Hall took tattoo roll-call for him.  As I do not require any other officer to report the time of his return, I did not exact it of him; but of course no man can be away after midnight without special permission, and he was gone all night.  What is it, Armitage?  Has he followed her down there?”

“Somebody was there last night and capsized the colonel pretty much as he did you the night of the ladder episode,” said Armitage, coolly.

“By heaven! and I let him go!”

“How do you know ’twas he?”

“Who else could it be, Armitage?”

“That’s what the colonel asks; but it isn’t clear to me yet awhile.”

“I wish it were less clear to me,” said Chester, gloomily.  “The worst is that the story is spreading like a pestilence all over the post.  The women have got hold of it, and there is all manner of talk.  I shouldn’t be surprised if Mrs. Hoyt had to be taken violently ill.  She has written to invite Miss Renwick to visit her, as it is certain that Colonel and Mrs. Maynard cannot come, and Hoyt came to me in a horror of amaze yesterday to know if there were any truth in the rumor that I had caught a man coming out of Mrs. Maynard’s window the other night.  I would tell him nothing, and he says the ladies declare they won’t go to the german if she does.  Heavens!  I’m thankful you are come.  The thing has been driving me wild these last twelve hours.  I wanted to go away myself. Is she coming up?”