om your meekness."

"Perhaps it isn't meekness," returned Darrin, wheeling and looking
at his chum.

"If it isn't meekness, then what is it? And, Dave, you used to
be the hothead, the living firebrand of Dick & Co.!"

"Danny boy, if hazing has lived nearly seventy years at Annapolis,
then it's because hazing is a good thing for the seedling Naval
officer. I believe in hazing. I believe in being forced to respect
and obey my elders. I believe in a fellow having every grain
of conceit driven out of him by heroic measures. And that's
hazing--long may the practice live and flourish!"

"Why, what good is hazing doing you?" insisted Dalzell.

"It's teaching me how to submit and to obey, and how to forget
my own vanity, before I am put in command of other men later on.
Danny boy, do you suppose it has cost me no effort to keep my
hands at my trousers-seams when I wanted to throw my fists out
in front of me? Do you imagine I have just tamely submitted to
a lot of abuse because my spirit was broken? Danny, I'm trying
to train my spirit, instead of letting it boss me! Many and many
a time, when the youngsters have started to guy me unmercifully
I've fairly ached to jump in and thrash 'em all. But, instead,
I've tried to conquer myself!"

"I reckon you're the same old Dave--improved," murmured Midshipman
Dalzell, holding out his hand.

CHAPTER XXIII

THE SPECTRE AT THE FIGHT PARTY

"On your head, mister. Now, let us have paragraph number four,
with tragic, blank-verse effect."

That was Jennison's command

Brooks manifested a fondness for paragraph number one, to the
air of "Yankee Doodle."

Others dropped in on Dave, after release at 9.30, evenings, and
called for other paragraph rendered in various ways. He was also
overhauled, out of doors, in the brief recreation period after
dinner, and made to do various stunts with the unfortunate paragraphs
from the "Bazoo."

By the time the first week of this was over Dave Darrin wished
most heartily that Mr. Pollock had never founded the Gridley "Blade."

It is rare that second class men take any part in hazing; it is
almost unheard of for a first class man to take any really active
part in running a plebe.

Midshipman Henley, first class, proved an exception to this rule.
Regularly, once a day, he met Darrin and ordered him to sing
paragraph number one to the tune of "Yankee Doodle."

If Dave resented any part of the torment, he was especially a