"Order a halt, sir!" commanded General Joffre sternly. "Or," as he saw that General Tromp still hesitated, "shall I do it myself?"

General Tromp turned and gave the command to one of his staff, who immediately dashed away. A moment and a bugle rang out, and the great army came to a pause.

"Now, sir," said General Joffre to General Tromp, "you will please dismiss your staff."

Without a word General Tromp turned and gave the necessary order. A moment later and the four, General Joffre, General Tromp, Hal and Chester, were alone together.

"What is the meaning of this, sir?" demanded General Tromp, with some dignity.

"The meaning, General Tromp," said General Joffre calmly, "is that you are a traitor!"

General Tromp started back, and his hand went up before his face as if to ward off a blow.

"What!" he cried in well simulated surprise. "Have a care, sir. I shall allow no such insults, even though you are my superior officer."

"Tush, tush," chided the commander-in-chief gently. "Why keep up the pretense? You are discovered. Why not admit it and have done?"

"Sir!" cried General Tromp, drawing himself up. "I demand an explanation of your strange conduct."

"And you shall have it, sir!" thundered General Joffre, now very angry, as he took a step forward.

General Tromp quailed before him. His eyes fell to the ground and his injured dignity dropped from him like a mask.

"I accuse you," continued General Joffre, "of being a traitor to France. I accuse you of aiding and abetting the escape of another traitor, one Dersi. And I also accuse you," and here the general pointed an accusing finger at General Tromp, "of even now playing into the hands of the enemy by ordering an advance, when you knew very well that such an advance could mean only the extermination of our troops."

By a great effort General Tromp forced his eyes to meet those of his commander.

"I deny it," he said in a thick voice.

"A denial is useless," said General Joffre quietly.

But General Tromp had now succeeded in regaining command of himself to a certain extent, and once more he tried to bluff it out.

"Who accuses me?" he demanded, with well a.s.sumed bravado.

"I do," said Hal, stepping forward.

"And I," cried Chester, also advancing a step.

General Tromp turned to General Joffre.

"And you take the word of those two upstarts in preference to mine?"

he demanded.

"I do," said the general quietly, "upon the advice of General Sir John French, who vouches for the truth of their story. Besides, your actions just now have convicted you. Come, Tromp, further denial is useless. Dersi has confessed."

"Dersi!" exclaimed Tromp, his fingers twitching. "If I could just get my hands on him for one minute----"

"But you can't," said General Joffre. "He is dead. And he died with a clear conscience, as I hope you will do."

"What do you mean?" cried Tromp, starting back.

"Exactly what I say," was General Joffre's chilling reply. "You have your choice. Either the way I mean, or to be publicly hanged as a traitor. If possible, I desire to avoid publicity. Which shall it be?"

General Tromp shifted nervously from one foot to the other, his hands twitching convulsively. Suddenly one hand leaped to his side.

"I wouldn't do that," said Hal quietly, and turning General Tromp saw the lad's revolver pointed squarely at him, held in a steady hand.

His hand dropped to his side again, and for some moments the traitor stood in silence. Then, suddenly, his shaking stopped. He raised his eyes and looked his commander straight in the eyes.

"It shall be as you say, sir," he said calmly. "You are right. I am a traitor. I would not have been, but--but--well that makes no difference now. You shall see, sir, that I am no coward. I am not afraid to die. Neither need you fear that I shall not do as you command. Thus shall I atone for my sin."

"I do not fear you will disobey," said the general softly.

"I am sorry, sir," continued General Tromp, "sorry because of you, more so than because of France. I know that it is useless to ask your forgiveness."

"For your treachery toward me," said General Joffre softly, "I forgive you freely; but for your treachery to France I cannot."

The traitor once more looked the general straight in the eyes, and slowly his heels came together and his hand came to a salute.

"Good-by, sir," he said quietly; then turned on his heel and walked away, his carriage erect, and without a tremor.

For a moment General Joffre stared after him, and his eyes became dim.

Quickly he pa.s.sed his hand over his eyes; then, motioning for Hal and Chester to follow him, turned slowly toward his car.

"A good man--and an excellent officer," he muttered to himself, "if he had but gone straight."

The car sped away. That evening, while Hal and Chester stood beside General Joffre, back again in his headquarters, an orderly rushed into the tent, and forgetting the formality of a salute in his haste, went up to the general and thrust a paper into his hand.

Silently the general read it, pa.s.sed it to Hal, and turned his head away. Chester, leaning over his friend's shoulder, read the words the message contained:

"The body of General Emil Tromp was found in his quarters at the front this afternoon. He had shot himself through the head."

"Evidently came by field wireless," said Chester.

"Yes," replied Hal.

General Joffre turned again to his desk, picked up a pen and wrote.

Then he read aloud to Hal and Chester:

"General Emil Tromp was struck down by a German sh.e.l.l at the front this afternoon. He died almost instantly."

"I am sure I may depend upon you to say nothing of what you have heard to-day," he said quietly.

"You may, sir," said Hal and Chester in one breath.

General Joffre tapped the bell on his desk. An orderly entered and came to a salute.