To begin with, every one at Sibley now knew something of the night adventure at the colonel’s, and, as no one could give the true statement of the case, the stories in circulation were gorgeous embellishments of the actual facts.  It would be useless, even if advisable, to attempt to reproduce these wild theories, but never was army garrison so tumultuously stirred by the whirlwind of rumor.  It was no longer denied for an instant that the absence of the colonel and his household was the direct result of that night’s discoveries; and when, to Mrs. Hoyt’s inexpressible relief, there came a prettily-worded note from Alice on Monday evening informing her that neither the colonel nor her mother felt well enough to return to Sibley for the german, and that she herself preferred not to leave her mother at a time when she needed her care, Mrs. Hoyt and her intimates, with whom she instantly conferred, decided that there could be no doubt whatever that the colonel knew of the affair, had forbidden their return, and was only waiting for further evidence to decide what was to be done with his erring step-daughter.  Women talked with bated breath of the latest stories in circulation, of Chester’s moody silence and preoccupation, of Jerrold’s ostracism, and of Frank Armitage’s sudden return.

On Monday morning the captain had quietly appeared in uniform at the office, and it was known that he had relinquished the remainder of his leave of absence and resumed command of his company.  There were men in the garrison who well knew that it was because of the mystery overhanging the colonel’s household that Armitage had so suddenly returned.  They asked no questions and sought no explanation.  All men marked, however, that Jerrold was not at the office on Monday, and many curiously looked at the morning report in the adjutant’s office.  No, he was not in arrest; neither was he on sick-report.  He was marked present for duty, and yet he was not at the customary assembly of all the commissioned officers at head-quarters.  More mystery, and most exasperating, too, it was known that Armitage and Jerrold had held a brief talk in the latter’s quarters soon after Sunday’s evening parade, and that the former had been reinforced for a time by Captain Chester, with whom he was afterwards closeted.  Officers who heard that he had suddenly returned and was at Chester’s went speedily to the latter’s quarters,—­at least two or three did,—­and were met by a servant at the door, who said that the gentlemen had just gone out the back way.  And, sure enough, neither Chester nor Armitage came home until long after taps; and then the colonel’s cook told several people that the two gentlemen had spent over an hour up-stairs in the colonel’s and Miss Alice’s room and “was foolin’ around the house till near ten o’clock.”