ray himself,
for the Virginian's sense of dignity would not permit him to go
visiting in the drenched garments in which he had awakened.

"Which one of you was it?" demanded Anstey, as he finally entered
the tent of Furlong and his bunkies.

"No one here," Dick replied. "The other gentlemen don't even
know what happened, for I haven't told them."

So Anstey withdrew his look of suspicion from the five cadets.
No cadet may ever lie; not even to a comrade in the corps. Any
cadet who utters a lie, and is detected in it, is ostracized as
being unfit for the company of gentlemen. So, when Dick's prompt
denial came, Anstey believed, as he was obliged to do.

"It was a plebe, Mace," continued Dick.

"I'll have all but his life, then!" cried the southerner fiercely.

"I wouldn't even think of it. The offender is only a cub," urged
Dick. "If you accept my advice, Mace, you won't even call the
poor blubber out. We'll just summon him here, and make the little
imp so ashamed of himself that the lesson ought to last him through
the rest of his plebedom. I'm cooler than you are at this moment,
Mace, but none the less disgusted. Will you let me handle this
affair?"

"Yes," agreed Anstey quickly.

As for Furlong, Griffin and Dobbs, it was "just nuts" for them
to see their class president, lately so stately on the subject
of hazing, now actually proposing to take a plebe sternly in hand.
The three bunkies exchanged grins.

"Tell us, Mace," continued Dick, "have you had any occasion to take
Mr. Briggs in hand at any time?

"So it was Mr. Briggs?" demanded Anstey angrily, turning toward
the door.

"Wait! Have you taken Mr. Briggs in hand at any time?"

"Yes," admitted Anstey. "When you and Holmesy were out, last
evening, I had Mr. Briggs in our tent for grinning at me and failing
to say 'sir' when he addressed me."

"You put him through some performances?"

"Nothing so very tiresome," replied Anstey. "I made him brace
for five minutes, and then go through the silent manual of arms
for five more."

"Humph! That wasn't much!" grunted Furlong.

"I guess that was why Mr. Briggs felt that he had to get square,"
mused Dick aloud. "But a plebe is not allowed to get square by
doing anything b.j."

Again Anstey turned as if to go out, but Dick broke in:

"Don't do it, Mace. Try, for the next half hour, to keep as cool
as an iceberg. Trust the treatment of the impish plebe to us.
Greg, old fellow, will you b