step and shook a soiled finger in Aiken's face. "You can't help it,
can't you?" he cried. "You're sorry, are you? You won't be sorry when
you're paid your money, will you? How much did you get for us, hey!
How much did Joe Fiske--"

Reeder threw out his arm and motioned the officer back. "Silence,
Captain Heinze," he commanded.

The men of the Legion who had happened to be standing near the tent
when we appeared had come up to look at the new arrivals, and when
they heard two of their officers attacking Aiken they crowded still
closer in front of us, forming a big half-circle. Each of them
apparently was on a footing with his officers of perfect comradeship,
and listened openly to what was going forward as though it were a
personal concern of his own. They had even begun to discuss it among
themselves, and made so much noise in doing so that Captain Heinze
passed on Reeder's rebuke as though it had been intended for them,
commanding, "Silence in the ranks."

They were not in ranks, and should not have been allowed where they
were in any formation, but that did not seem to occur to either of the
officers.

"Silence," Reeder repeated. "Now, Mr. Aiken, I am waiting. What have
you to say?"

"What is there for me to say?" Aiken protested. "I have done all I
could. I told you as soon as I could get here." Major Reeder drew
close to Aiken and pointed his outstretched hand at him.