intonations that no one could listen to it unmoved. Both
officers and men were more or less affected, and all
hoped--they scarcely knew why or what--but all hoped
something favourable would occur to save the life of the
brave and unhappy Frank Halloway.

Of the first interruption by the wife of the prisoner
the Governor had taken no notice; but on this repetition
of the expression of her feelings he briefly summoned,
in the absence of the Adjutant, the sergeant-major of
the regiment to his side.

"Sergeant-major Bletson, I desire that, in future, on
all occasions of this kind, the women of the regiment
may be kept out of the way. Look to it, sir!"

The sergeant-major, who had stood erect as his own halbert,
which he held before him in a saluting position, during
this brief admonition of his colonel, acknowledged, by
a certain air of deferential respect and dropping of the
eyes, unaccompanied by speech of any kind, that he felt
the reproof, and would, in future, take care to avoid
all similar cause for complaint. He then stalked stiffly
away, and resumed, in a few hasty strides, his position
in rear of the troops.

"Hard-hearted man!" pursued the same voice: "if my prayers
of gratitude to Heaven give offence, may the hour never
come when my lips shall pronounce their bitterest curse
upon your severity!"