Hall frowned perceptibly.

"Mr. Darrin, do not attempt any quibble. The circumstances under
which these articles were found place them sufficiently in your
possession. What have you to say that will clear you?"

"I can offer, sir, the testimony of my roommate, Mr. Dalzell,
who will declare most positively that he has never known me to
use tobacco."

"Did Mr. Dalzell leave your room with you when you went to your
last recitation?"

"No, sir; he left fifteen minutes before, by permission, to go
to his locker in the gymnasium to look over certain articles there."

"Then you are unable to call your roommate to support your assertion
that you did not smoke before going with your section to recitation
in English?"

"I have only my unsupported word, sir, as a midshipman and a gentleman,
to offer."

"Under almost all circumstances, Mr. Darrin, a midshipman's word
of honor should be sufficient. But you have been reported several
times of late, and with apparent justice. You will make in writing,
Mr. Darrin, at once, such report as you wish to hand in on this
incident, and the report against you will be considered in the
usual way."

Dave returned to his room. Though he was discouraged his face looked
grim, and his air was resolute.

Taking pen and paper he began to prepare his report on this latest
charge.

Having finished and signed, Dave next picked up a bit of exercise
paper and began to figure.

"What are you doing, old chap?" asked Dan sympathetically.

"My head is in too much of a whirl for me to trust myself to any
mental arithmetic," Darrin answered. "I have been figuring how
much further I have to go. First offense of having tobacco in
possession calls for twenty-five demerits. That brings the total
up to one hundred and forty-five. Dave, I have a lease of life
here amounting to fifty-four more demerits in this term. The
fifty-fifth signs my ticket home!

"The next trick of this kind attempted," cried Dalzell, his face
glowing with anger, "must sign, instead, the home ticket of the
rascal who is at the bottom of all this!"

"But how?" demanded Dave blankly. "He has been entirely too slick
to allow himself to be caught."

CHAPTER XIII

MIDSHIPMAN FARLEY'S ABOUT-FACE

The gloom that now hung over Dave Darrin was the thickest, the
blackest that he had ever encountered in his short life.

He was fully convinced, of course, that his troubles were the
work of some determined and u