"Nothing," barely gasped the detected wretch.

"Then I will say something instead, suh," continued the Virginian.

"I would rather the task fell to someone else, but this work has been delegated to me, and I must see it through, suh. Mr. Dodge, we are all satisfied that you are a miserable, lying, sneaking hound, suh, not worthy to a.s.sociate with gentlemen. We are satisfied, suh, that you are without honor or principle, and that you will never be fit to become an officer of the Army."

"Now, see here, fellows," broke in Dodge in a whining tone, "if you'll be generous and give me another chance, I can live this down."

"Then you admit that which we have been stating against you, do you, suh?" questioned the Virginian. "It will be best for you to be wholly honest, suh!

"Yes---yes---I---admit---it," cried Dodge brokenly. "But I didn't deliberately plan for Prescott's undoing---on my honor, I didn't!

What happened was this: When I took Prescott's handkerchief with one hand, I had that crib in the other hand. After using the handkerchief, I found that I couldn't pa.s.s it back without either letting the crib be seen, or else tucking the crib into the handkerchief. So I had to do the latter thing. But that was as far as I was guilty---on my honor, gentlemen!"

"Then you expect us to believe in the honor of a cadet who dishonors himself by sneaking cribs into a section room?" demanded Anstey with mild but withering sarcasm.

"Give me just one more chance, gentlemen!" faltered Dodge. "I pledge you my word that, henceforth, I'll do everything that is creditable and honorable, and nothing that isn't!"

"We have a somewhat different proposition for you, Mr. Dodge,"

observed the Virginian. "We want no more of your stripe. We would degrade the entire Army, and the whole people of the United States of America if we allow you to remain here. Tomorrow, at an early hour, you will hand in your resignation as a cadet, to take effect upon acceptance. If you fail, we will lay before the superintendent and the commandant of cadets all the evidence that we have against you, including your own confession. You will then have to face a general court-martial and be dismissed from the service in the deepest disgrace that can come to a cadet."

Bert Dodge sank to his knees, holding his clasped hands up before him.

"Don't insist on that, gentlemen! Don't! Spare me the disgrace!

Spare my parents!

"Mr. Dodge," replied Anstey sternly, "honor is the watchword in the United States Military Academy, and all through the Army.

We couldn't spare a dishonorable wretch like you, suh, without sharing in your disgrace. And I have not told you all that we require. As soon as you have gone to your home you will write a letter to the superintendent, exonerating Mr. Prescott from all suspicion in that fearful affair. You will admit that you alone were guilty. According to custom, that letter will be read before the battalion in special orders and the entire corps will then know how fully Cadet Prescott is worthy of being one of us."

"Write that letter?" demanded Dodge, leaping to his feet, but cowering. "Never! You are taking an unfair, unmanly, ungenerous advantage of me! You shall never have any such letter from me!"

CHAPTER XXIV

CONCLUSION

Still patiently Anstey turned to Greg.

"Mr. Holmes, will you be kind enough to go to the room of Mr.

Packard of the first cla.s.s, also Mr. Maitland, of the second cla.s.s, and present my very respectful compliments? Will you ask both gentlemen if they can make it convenient to come here, forthwith, on a matter of corps honor?"

Greg departed. He was back within five minutes, simply nodding.

Very soon Mr. Packard and Mr. Maitland appeared. They listened silently while Anstey laid the story before them. Then Packard glanced at the second cla.s.sman.

"Shall I speak for us both, Maitland?"

"If you please."

"Mr. Anstey, and gentlemen," continued Packard, "this is primarily a matter affecting your own third cla.s.s, and should be settled by the members of your cla.s.s. But, in its broader scope, the conduct to which Mr. Dodge has confessed affects the entire corps.

Mr. Dodge charges that you are abusing your power. Maitland and I beg to differ with him. Mr. Anstey, you have done the only thing that can be done in such a case of infamy and dishonor.

Mr. Dodge will, of course, send in his resignation tomorrow; it will be much easier for him than facing disgrace of a more public kind through a published verdict of a general court-martial.

As soon as Mr. Dodge has reached his home he will also write that letter exonerating Mr. Prescott; I am sure he will. If he does not, the corps will then take steps to turn the evidence over to the representative of the a.s.sociated Press, and of the largest newspapers in the country. In other words, Mr. Dodge, by refusing to write that letter, will face a vastly larger exposure all through the country. Now, Maitland, as this is, first of all, a cla.s.s matter, I feel that we have offered enough. Gentlemen, if you have no further need of us, we will withdraw."

The self-appointed committee of the yearling cla.s.s withdrew a moment after, Furlong and Dunstan carrying with them the evidence.

Bert Dodge tendered his resignation promptly. Within a week the notice of its acceptance by the Secretary of War was published before the battalion, and Dodge skulked away, alone, unregretted and utterly crushed, to the railway station. During the last few days he had been "cut" by every man in the corps.

Three days after his departure the superintendent of the United States Military Academy received a letter that caused him much astonishment. In this letter Dodge briefly confessed that he, and he alone, was the guilty party in that cribbing affair, and d.i.c.k Prescott had had no guilty share or knowledge in the incident.

"Hm!" mused the superintendent, a grim smile pa.s.sing over his face. "This Dodge business has all the ear-marks of another affair of Army honor settled unofficially by the corps of cadets."

Dodge's letter was published in a special order then read before the corps of cadets, and the affair was closed.

d.i.c.k and Greg continued to play in the Army nine the rest of that spring. It was one of the most brilliant of Army seasons on the diamond, and much of the credit was due to yearlings Prescott and Greg.

Baseball was at last cut short by the arrival of the busy graduation season.

Immediately after the proud and happy graduating cla.s.s had left to take up its new life in the scattered Army of the United States, the yearling cla.s.s dropped that designation and became the new second cla.s.s at West Point. As members of the new second cla.s.s, these happy youngsters laid aside their uniforms for two and a half months, and, in citizens' clothes, made their rush away from the Military Academy to begin the summer furlough that comes but once in the cadet's more than four years of Academy life.

That evening found Greg and d.i.c.k in New York City. Happy as small boys, they looked at the great city in genuine glee.

"I feel like rubbing my eyes, Greg, old chum!" laughed d.i.c.k.

"Are we dreaming, or can such large cities actually be?"

"It seems to me that I have a remembrance of large towns in some previous stage of existence, somewhere in the universe," sighed Holmes ecstatically. "But this town is bigger, noisier, fuller of life and fun than anything I can recall."

"We have until midnight before the home train leaves," pursued d.i.c.k.

"Home! Now, that is something of which I have a much keener recollection!" cried Greg, his eyes moistening. "d.i.c.k, I'm afraid that, if there were a train earlier than midnight, even the big town wouldn't detain me."

"But there isn't an earlier train, Greg, and there are no taps or sub-division inspectors tonight. What shall we do?"

"First of all, then," proposed Greg gleefully, "let us see if there is a place in New York where they know the meaning of the big feed."

"And then the theater!" chuckled d.i.c.k.

"Which we'll reach in one of those wonderful vehicles that the natives call taxicabs!"

They found a place without difficulty.

"Then to walk along Broadway with its flashing lights; then the railway station!"

"The train!"

"Home in the morning!"

"We'll start with a taxi," proposed Greg. "Here's an empty one coming. Here, chauffeur. Yes! The Waldorf!"