Lacey, the doctor, and Jerry went off at once, and ten minutes later they were at the bedside of Richard Frayne, who was slowly recovering after the young doctor's bandaging, and was talking wildly, but with sufficient coherence about the scene among the hops to let his hearers grasp the fact that this was no attempt at suicide, but a would-be murderer's deed. The colonel and major left the barracks some time later, and were driven up to the quarters of the colonel of the 310th, who looked surprised at the visit, but said _en passant_-- "I have just heard that your missing bandsman has been found. Suicide, I suppose?" "Or attempted murder!" said the colonel gravely. "We have come about that." He related what had taken place, and the colonel of the 310th smiled. "I have heard of romances," he said quietly. "Excuse me." He touched the bell, and, upon a servant appearing, said-- "Go to Sir Mark Frayne's quarters, and ask him, with my compliments, to be good enough to step here. _Audi alteram partem_, gentlemen. You have an impostor in your band." "We shall see." Five minutes later the servant returned. "Well?" "Sir Mark Frayne left the mess-table, sir, when the news came of that man being found in the hop-field, and went to lie down, sir; but his man says he went out about a quarter of an hour after _in mufti_, sir, and with a little Gladstone bag. Sergeant at the station, sir--provost--saw him leave by the up train at eight." "That will do," said his master, and the colonel and the major rose to go. "Looks bad, gentlemen," continued the colonel of the 310th. "A nasty scandal to have in one's corps!" "Yes; but I don't think we want any more confirmation. That Gladstone bag and the train are enough." "And if he had been a gentleman," said the major hotly, "he would have had the door of his quarters locked." "How will it all end?" muttered the colonel. "Ah, well! there are black sheep in every flock, even if they hide their wool under our uniform." CHAPTER FORTY ONE. "HALT!" "Why, it was plain enough," said Jerry, one day as he sat by Richard's bed. "He'd made all his plans and led you on out there on purpose." "Nonsense, man!" "Ah, you may call it nonsense, if you like, because you don't see through it now no more than you did then." "Of course I don't. When once you take a dislike to a man, you see nothing but evil in him. You invent things." "Oh, do I!" cried Jerry. "Never mind. I couldn't invent so much wickedness as he's got in him, if I tried all night. Now, just let me ask you two or three questions." "Go on then," said Dick, wearily. "Here goes then. You know your cousin to be in the habit of going out grassing and taking walks up Constitootion Hill for training hisself?" "Well, no, Jerry, I never did." "Never found him fond o' buttercups and daisies, or prospects and views and that sort o' thing?" "No." "Nor yet taking six or seven or eight-mile walks to get himself a happetite?" "Never."