"Very well, then," said he. "What about this Goguelat?" "You heard me yesterday before the court," I began. "I was awakened only----" "O yes; I 'heard you yesterday before the court,' no doubt," he interrupted, "and I remember perfectly that you were 'awakened only.' I could repeat the most of it by rote, indeed. But do you suppose that I believed you for a moment?" "Neither would you believe me if I were to repeat it here," said I. "I may be wrong--we shall soon see," says he; "but my impression is that you will not 'repeat it here.' My impression is that you have come into this room, and that you will tell me something before you go out." I shrugged my shoulders. "Let me explain," he continued. "Your evidence, of course, is nonsense. I put it by, and the court put it by." "My compliments and thanks!" said I. "You _must_ know--that's the short and the long," he proceeded. "All of you in Shed B are bound to know. And I want to ask you where is the common sense of keeping up this farce, and maintaining this cock-and-bull story between friends. Come, come, my good fellow, own yourself beaten, and laugh at it yourself." "Well, I hear you--go ahead," said I. "You put your heart in it." He crossed his legs slowly. "I can very well understand," he began, "that precautions have had to be taken. I dare say an oath was administered. I can comprehend that perfectly." (He was watching me all the time with his cold, bright eyes.) "And I can comprehend that, about an affair of honour, you would be very particular to keep it." "About an affair of honour?" I repeated, like a man quite puzzled. "It was not an affair of honour, then?" he asked. "What was not? I do not follow," said I. He gave no sign of impatience; simply sat a while silent, and began again in the same placid and good-natured voice: "The court and I were at one in setting aside your evidence. It could not deceive a child. But there was a difference between myself and the other officers, because _I knew my man_ and they did not. They saw in you a common soldier, and I knew you for a gentleman. To them your evidence was a leash of lies, which they yawned to hear you telling. Now, I was asking myself, how far will a gentleman go? Not surely so far as to help hush a murder up? So that--when I heard you tell how you knew nothing of the matter, and were only awakened by the corporal, and all the rest of it--I translated your statements into something else. Now, Champdivers," he cried, springing up lively and coming towards me with animation, "I am going to tell you what that was, and you are going to help me to see justice done: how, I don't know, for of course you are under oath--but somehow. Mark what I'm going to say."