Whatever the
motive, there was nothing of personality to influence
him in the rejection of the appeal made in favour of one
who had never injured him; but who, on the contrary, as
the whole of the regiment could attest, had saved the
life of his son.
Rigid disciplinarian as he was, and holding himself
responsible for the safety of the garrison it was but
natural, when the discovery had been made of the
unaccountable unfastening of the gate of the fort,
suspicion of no ordinary kind should attach to the sentinel
posted there; and that he should steadily refuse all
credence to a story wearing so much appearance of
improbability. Proud, and inflexible, and bigoted to
first impressions, his mind was closed against those
palliating circumstances, which, adduced by Halloway in
his defence, had so mainly contributed to stamp the
conviction of his moral innocence on the minds of his
judges and the attentive auditory; and could he even have
conquered his pride so far as to have admitted the belief
of that innocence, still the military crime of which he
had been guilty, in infringing a positive order of the
garrison, was in itself sufficient to call forth all the
unrelenting severity of his nature.
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