pardon my having been so explicit."

Furlong turned on his heel, striding away. The cadets to whom
Dodge had been talking bitterly looked at Bert curiously. A good
many men in the corps would have promptly resented such remarks
as Furlong's, and to the limit, by calling him out.

"Queer how many friends, of some kinds, a fellow like Prescott
can have," laughed Dodge sneeringly.

"Not at all," spoke up one of Dodge's listeners. "Everyone always
knows where Prescott stands, and he'll back up anything he says.
Furlong is another man of the same stamp."

With that the last speaker turned on his heel and walked away.

For some days after that, Bert Dodge was more careful of his utterances.

The general reviews came and passed. By sheer hard, undistracted
work, both Dick and Greg succeeded in pulling through without
having to go up for writs. For some reason Dodge did not do quite
as well in the general review, and was forced to drop down a couple
of sections. He still stood well, however, in math.

In the next week after the dangerous examination period Dick Prescott
began to forge upwards in mathematics. He was now in the section
fourth removed from the goats, and Greg was up in the section
next above the goats.

On the afternoon of the Friday when the markings had been posted
Dodge met Dennison, also of the yearling class.

"Say, what do you think, Dodge, of Prescott beginning to shoot
up through the sections toward you? He'll soon be marching at
your side when math. is called."

"He'll bear watching," nodded Dodge sagely.

"That's what I feel about it," replied Dennison.

"Prescott isn't the kind of man who can climb high in mathematics,
and do it honestly," continued Dodge. "Either he has the old
crib at work again, or has hit on a safer way of working crib."

"Of course he has," nodded Dennison. "We ought to post the
class---especially Prescott own section comrades. They can catch
him, if they're sharp, and then pass the word through the class
without bothering the authorities. If Prescott is doing such things
he must be driven from West Point."

"He will be---see if he isn't," retorted Bert sullenly. "I'm
going to pass the word to the class."

"And I'll post the men in the same section with him," promised
Dennison.

"Why not post Prescott first?" demanded a cold voice. A cadet
had halted behind the pair.

"Oh, you, Furlong?" snarled Dodge, turning.

"Yes," replied Cadet Furlong. "