As the official party was returning through B ward, inspecting the men, who were standing at attention in their day-cells, the officer in charge advanced to the governor.
"One man missing, sir! No. 27, sir! Mankell, sir!"
The chief warder started. If possible, he turned a shade more purple even than before.
"Fetch me the key of the night-cells," he said.
It was brought. They went upstairs--the Major, the governor, the chief and second warders. Sure enough they found the missing man, standing at attention in his night-cell, waiting to be let out--the only man in the prison whom they had found in his place. The chief warder unlocked him. In silence they followed him as he went downstairs.
When the Major and Mr. Paley found themselves alone, both of them seemed a little bewildered.
"Well, Major, what do you think of it now?"
"It's a got-up thing! I'll stake my life, it's a got-up thing!"
"What do you mean--a got-up thing?"
"Some of the officers know more about it than they have chosen to say--that man Slater, for instance. But I'll have the thing sifted to the bottom before I go. I never heard of anything more audacious in the whole of my career."