CHAPTER II. THE ULTIMATUM 

News of the affair at Tavora reached Sir Terence O'Moy, the Adjutant-General at Lisbon, about a week later in dispatches from headquarters. These informed him that in the course of the humble apology and explanation of the regrettable occurrence offered by the Colonel of the 8th Dragoons in person to the Mother Abbess, it had transpired that Lieutenant Butler had left the convent alive, but that nevertheless he continued absent from his regiment. 

Those dispatches contained other unpleasant matters of a totally different nature, with which Sir Terence must proceed to deal at once; but their gravity was completely outweighed in the adjutant's mind by this deplorable affair of Lieutenant Butler's. Without wishing to convey an impression that the blunt and downright O'Moy was gifted with any undue measure of shrewdness, it must nevertheless be said that he was quick to perceive what fresh thorns the occurrence was likely to throw in a path that was already thorny enough in all conscience, what a semblance of justification it must give to the hostility of the intriguers on the Council of Regency, what a formidable weapon it must place in the hands of Principal Souza and his partisans. In itself this was enough to trouble a man in O'Moy's position. But there was more. Lieutenant Butler happened to be his brother-in-law, own brother to O'Moy's lovely, frivolous wife. Irresponsibility ran strongly in that branch of the Butler family. 

For the sake of the young wife whom he loved with a passionate and fearful jealousy such as is not uncommon in a man of O'Moy's temperament when at his age--he was approaching his forty-sixth birthday--he marries a girl of half his years, the adjutant had pulled his brother-in-law out of many a difficulty; shielded him on many an occasion from the proper consequences of his incurable rashness. 
What ran powerfully through a branch of the Butler family?
Where was the affair that reached O'Moy?
What was his title?
How did he get wind of the affair?
From where?
Who was missing from his regiment?
Where had he departed, alive?
What else was in those dispatches that were about something else?
Was he going to handle them immediately?
What struck his as the worst part of it all?
How was O'Moy's wife described?
Did he love her?
How is his jealousy of her described?
Is that strange for a guy of his temperament?
How old is he?
And his wife?
What is something he'd done for his brother-in-law?
And what did he protect him from?
Had all this put ammunition in the hands of of Principal Souza?
Had it made a situation worse that was already bad?
Irresponsibility
Irresponsibility ran strongly in that branch of the Butler family. 
Tavora
News of the affair at Tavora reached Sir Terence O'Moy,
the Adjutant-General at Lisbon
News of the affair at Tavora reached Sir Terence O'Moy, the Adjutant-General at Lisbon, 
Dispatches
News of the affair at Tavora reached Sir Terence O'Moy, the Adjutant-General at Lisbon, about a week later in dispatches from headquarters. 
Headquarters
about a week later in dispatches from headquarters. 
Lieutenant Butler
, it had transpired that Lieutenant Butler had left the convent alive, but that nevertheless he continued absent from his regiment. 
the convent
it had transpired that Lieutenant Butler had left the convent alive, but that nevertheless he continued absent from his regiment. 

Other unpleasant matters
Those dispatches contained other unpleasant matters of a totally different nature,
Yes
 with which Sir Terence must proceed to deal at once; 
He was his brother-in-law
Lieutenant Butler happened to be his brother-in-law,
lovely and frivolous
O'Moy's lovely, frivolous wife
Yes
For the sake of the young wife whom he loved with a passionate 
fearful
fearful jealousy such as is not uncommon in a man of O'Moy's temperament when at his age
no
 not uncommon in a man of O'Moy's temperament when at his age-
46
he was approaching his forty-sixth birthday
Half his years - 23.
-he marries a girl of half his years, 
Pulled him out of many a difficulty.
the adjutant had pulled his brother-in-law out of many a difficulty;
the consequences of his incurable rashness.
shielded him on many an occasion from the proper consequences of his incurable rashness.
Yes
what a formidable weapon it must place in the hands of Principal Souza 
Yes
he was quick to perceive what fresh thorns the occurrence was likely to throw in a path that was already thorny enough in all conscience,