Jenny elevated her black brows and threw up her arched nose like a charger.  “I’m not afraid of old women and children,” she said loftily.

“But I am,” said the colonel gravely.  “It’s a horrible thing to think of, but these feeble old women and innocent children are always selected to torture the prisoners taken by the braves, and, by Jove, they seem to like it.”

Thus restricted, Mrs. Lascelles fell back upon the attentions of Lieutenant Forsyth, whose gallantry was always as fresh as his smart cadet-like tunics, and they took some rides together.  Whether it was military caution or the feminine discretion of the colonel’s wife,—­to the quiet amusement of the other officers,—­a trooper was added to the riding party by the order of the colonel, and thereafter it consisted of three.  One night, however, the riders did not appear at dinner, and there was considerable uneasiness mingled with some gossip throughout the garrison.  It was already midnight before they arrived, and then with horses blown and trembling with exhaustion, and the whole party bearing every sign of fatigue and disturbance.  The colonel said a few sharp, decisive words to the subaltern, who, pale and reticent, plucked at his little moustache, but took the whole blame upon himself.  He and Mrs. Lascelles had, he said, outridden the trooper and got lost; it was late when Cassidy (the trooper) found them, but it was no fault of his, and they had to ride at the top of their speed to cover the ground between them and the fort.  It was noticed that Mrs. Lascelles scarcely spoke to Forsyth, and turned abruptly away from the colonel’s interrogations and went to her room.

Peter, absorbed in his report, scarcely noticed the incident, nor the singular restraint that seemed to fall upon the little military household for a day or two afterwards.  He had accepted the lieutenant’s story without comment or question; he knew his own sister too well to believe that she had lent herself to a flirtation with Forsyth; indeed, he had rather pitied the young officer when he remembered Lascelles’ experience in his early courtship.  But he was somewhat astonished one afternoon to find the trooper Cassidy alone in his office.

“Oi thought Oi’d make bould to have a word wid ye, sorr,” he said, recovering from a stiff salute with his fingers nipping the cord of his trousers.  “It’s not for meeself, sorr, although the ould man was harrd on me, nor for the leddy, your sister, but for the sake of the leftenant, sorr, who the ould man was harrdest on of all.  Oi was of the parrty that rode with your sister.”

“Yes, yes, I remember, I heard the story,” said Peter.  “She and Mr. Forsyth got lost.”

“Axin’ your pardin, sorr, she didn’t.  Mr. Forsyth loid.  Loid like an officer and a jintleman—­as he is, God bless him—­to save a leddy, more betoken your sister, sorr.  They never got lost, sorr.  We was all three together from the toime we shtarted till we got back, and it’s the love av God that we ever got back at all.  And it’s breaking me hearrt, sorr, to see him goin’ round with the black looks of everybody upon him, and he a-twirlin’ his moustache and purtending not to mind.”