cene might have led it is impossible to say,
but just at that instant Anstey and two other second classmen came
into the room, and the turnback seized the opportunity to get away.

Though Cadet Prescott was so cheerful over his injury he was in
a good deal of pain as the evening wore on.

Every hour or so Goodwin or the other surgeon came in to see him.

Though Prescott could hardly be expected to understand it, the
surgeons were pleased, on the whole, with the pain. Had there
been numbness, instead, the surgeons would have looked for paralysis.

Later in the night Dick asked Captain Goodwin if he could not
administer some light opiate.

"You are willing to be a soldier, I know, Mr. Prescott," replied
the surgeon.

"Be sure of that, sir," replied the young man, Wincing.

"Then try to bear the pain. It is the best indication with which
we have to deal. It is one of the most hopeful symptoms for which
we could look. Besides, your descriptions of the pain, and of
its locality, if you are accurate, will give us our best indication
of what to do for you."

"Then I don't want any opiate, sir," replied Dick bluntly. "I
don't care whether I'm kept here a day or a year, or what I have
to suffer, only as long as I don't have to lose an active career
in the service!"

"Good for you, my young soldier," beamed the surgeon, patting the
cadet's hand. "The superintendent telephoned over, a little while
ago, to ask how you were. I told him that your grit was the best
we had seen here in a long time."

"Thank you, sir."

"And the superintendent replied, dryly enough, that he expected
that from your general record. The superintendent sent you his
personal regards."

"Thank you, sir, and the superintendent, too."

"Oh, and a lot of others have been inquiring about you, too---the
K.C. and all of the professors and most of the instructors. And
at least a small regiment of cadets have tramped down as far as
the office door also. I've been saving the names of inquirers,
and will tell you the names in the morning. All except the names
of the cadets, that is. There was too big a mob of cadets for
us to attempt to keep the names."

It was a painful, restless, feverish night for Prescott. He slept
a part of the time, though when he did his sleep was filled with
nightmares.

The surgeons won his gratitude by their devotion to his interests.
The first half of the night Captain Goodwin was in at least every
hour. T