"Bless me, so I was," assented Algy mildly.
"Yet this morning you failed to be present at guard-mount."
"Yes, sir. I'll tell you how it happened."
"Be good enough to tell me without delay."
"Colonel, did you ever hear of the Douglas-Fraziers, of Detroit?"
"Answer my question, Mr. Ferrers!"
"Or the Porterby-Masons, of Chicago?" pursued Algy calmly. "Both families are very old friends of our family. They and some others were very much interested in my being a soldier, and——"
"You being a soldier!" exploded the irate colonel under his breath.
"And so they and some others who were on their way to the coast on a special train had their train switched off at Clowdry last night. They expected to get in at eight, but it was eleven when they arrived last night. However, sir, they telephoned right up to me and tipped me off to join them at once at the Clowdry Hotel. So what could I do?"
"Eh?" quivered Colonel North, who seemed momentarily all but bereft of speech.