Poor Buxton!  One of his idiosyncrasies was to talk wisely to the juniors on the subject of European campaigns and to criticise the moves of generals whose very names and centuries were entangling snares.  His own subalterns were, unfortunately for him, at the house when Hayne called, and when he, as was his wont, began to expound on current military topics.  “A little learning,” even, he had not, and the dangerous thing that that would have been was supplanted by something quite as bad, if not worse.  He was trapped and thrown by the quiet-mannered infantry subaltern, and it was all Messrs. Freeman and Royce could do to restrain their impulse to rush after Hayne and embrace him.  Buxton was cordially detested by his “subs” and well knew they would tell the story of his defeat, so he made a virtue of necessity and came out with his own version.  Theirs was far more ludicrous, and, while it made Mr. Hayne famous, he gained another enemy.  The ——­th could not fail to notice how soon after that all social recognition ceased between their bulky captain and the pale, slender subaltern; and Mrs. Buxton and Mrs. Rayner became suddenly infatuated with each other, while their lords were seldom seen except together.

All this time, however, Miss Travers was making friends throughout the garrison.  No one ever presumed to discuss the Hayne affair in her presence, because of her relationship to the Rayners; and yet Mrs. Waldron had told several people how delightfully she and Mr. Hayne had spent an afternoon together.  Did not Mrs. Rayner declare that Mrs. Waldron was a woman who told everything she knew, or words to that effect?  It is safe to say that the garrison was greatly interested in the story.  How strange it was that he should have had a tete-a-tete with the sister of his bitterest foe! When did they meet?  Had they met since?  Would they meet again?  All these were questions eagerly discussed, yet never asked of the parties themselves, Mr. Hayne’s reputation for snubbing people standing him in excellent stead, and Miss Travers’s quiet dignity and reserve of manner being too much for those who would have given a good deal to gain her confidence.  But there was Mrs. Rayner.  She, at least, with all her high and mighty ways, was no unapproachable creature when it came to finding out what she thought of other people’s conduct.  So half a dozen, at least, had more or less confidentially asked if she knew of Mr. Hayne and Miss Travers’s meeting.  Indeed she did! and she had given Nellie her opinion of her conduct very decidedly.  It was Captain Rayner himself who interposed, she said, and forbade her upbraiding Nellie any further.  Nellie being either in an adjoining room or up in her own on several occasions when these queries were propounded to her sister, it goes without saying that that estimable woman, after the manner of her sex, had elevated her voice in responding, so that there was no possibility of the wicked girl’s failing to get the full benefit of the scourging she deserved.  Rayner had, indeed, positively forbidden her further rebuking Nellie; but the man does not live who can prevent one woman’s punishing another so long as she can get within earshot, and Miss Travers was paying dearly for her independence.