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!”