“I was too bearish yesterday,” he explained. “I didn’t think what a mean way it was to speak till afterward. I’ll show you anything you want to know about the records, and be glad to.”
Finkelton received him rather coldly.
“I haven’t the lists here now,” he said. “Captain Brede came and got them this morning to figure out his company’s standing as against Harple’s. Besides, I won’t need your assistance; I got all the information I wanted from another source.”
Brightly was surprised and chilled by Finkelton’s manner toward him. They had been very good friends. But after a moment’s thought, he knew that he merited the implied reproach; and without another word he turned and went away. Ten minutes later Brede came into Finkelton’s room, bringing the adjutant’s papers with him.
“I’ve brought back the lists, Fink,” he said, “and here’s a curious thing in this one that I want to show you.”
He spread out on the table the general record and pointed to Brightly’s name on it.
“Do you see,” he continued, “that some one has scratched out a 25 in the balance opposite that name and left it a 5?”
“That’s so,” replied Finkelton, scrutinizing the paper closely. “That certainly has been a 25. I didn’t notice it before. Do you suppose Brightly has done a thing like this?”
“Well, a man’ll do a good deal to save an honor-grade chevron. Twenty-five would have lost it for him, five will let him make it yet. See?”
“Yes, but I can’t quite believe that of Bright. Maybe five is correct after all.”