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."

"What do you mean?" said Peter, uneasily.

"Oi mane to be tellin' you what happened, sorr," said Cassidy stoutly.
"When we shtarted out Oi fell three files to the rear, as became me,
so as not to be in the way o' their colloguing, but sorra a bit o'