kind. Nothing here is sacrificed to athletics, and
you surely must know it."

"Then I guess we're dished," confessed Dalzell mournfully.

"A fine way for you two to go and use the football squad! Great!"
insisted Hepson bitterly.

"Had you been with us, Hepson, you'd have done just as we did. I know
that," Dave replied.

"Well, you are calling me a bit," agreed Hepson. "After all, I don't know
just what it was that got you both into this scrape. Some kind of fight,
or row, in town, was all I heard."

"Then I'll tell you about it," Darrin went on quietly.

"Well, I really don't see how you could have helped it," agreed
Midshipman Hepson after he had listened. "But that doesn't save us any.
We're out our two best line players and our quarter-back."

"Oh, we'll be restored to the squad as soon as the sentence has been
pronounced," predicted Dan Dalzell.

"Even if you're bounced out of the Naval Academy?" demanded Hepson
savagely.

"It--it won't be as bad as that," faltered Dan.

"Perhaps not," agreed Hepson, "though you must understand that the charge
of assaulting civilians is not a light matter. You can be dismissed for
it, you know."

"Yes," nodded Dave Darrin, and then Danny boy went several shades
less ruddy.

"Here's hoping for the best," grumbled Hepson, holding out his hand to
each in turn. "And, for the love of Mike, keep out of all further
trouble! Don't look cross-eyed--once--until after November!"

CHAPTER XIV

TWO SIDES OF A STORY

One circumstance puzzled all of the midshipmen who first heard of the
affair. The fourth, and unknown, midshipman, who had waited outside of
the house and assaulted the first civilian, must have known the latter or
it was not likely that he would have committed the assault. That being
the case, it was just likely that the civilian knew and had recognized
the unknown midshipman who had knocked him down. Such an attack must have
followed some prior dispute.

Then, since the civilians had undoubtedly made complaint to the Naval
Academy authorities, how had they been able to get out of supplying the
name of the midshipman unknown to Dave and his friends?

Right after breakfast the next morning Dave Darrin and his friends of the
evening before were summoned before the commandant of midshipmen. By that
officer they were questioned very rigidly, but they had nothing to add to
their statement of the night before. They were therefore ordered back to
their quar