arrange for resenting the insult.
Otherwise--"

"Well?" insisted Dave quietly, though his anger was rising. "Otherwise?"

"Otherwise," retorted Midshipman Jetson, "I'll pursue my way and seek
company that pleases me better."

"Look out, Jet, old hot-plate!" laughed Joyce. "You'll soon be insulting
all three of us."

"I don't intend to," Jetson rejoined quickly. "My quarrel concerns only
Mr. Darrin."

"Oho!" murmured Dave. "There is a quarrel, then?"

"If you choose to pick one."

"But I don't, Mr. Jetson. Quarreling is out of my line. If I've done you
any harm or any injustice I'm ready to make good by apologies and
otherwise. And, if I haven't wronged you in any way, you should be
equally manly and apologize for your treatment of me just now."

"Oh, bosh!" snapped Mr. Jetson once more.

"This is none of my quarrel," interposed Midshipman Joyce, "and I'm not
intentionally a promoter of hard feeling. But it seems to me, Jet, that
Darry has spoken as fairly as any fellow could. Now, it seems to me that
it's up to you to be equally manly."

"So you, too, are asserting that I'm not manly," bristled Mr. Jetson
haughtily. "You all seem bound to force trouble on me to-night."

"Not I, then," retorted Joyce, his spirit rising. "I'm finding myself
forced to the belief that you're hardly worth having trouble with."

Jetson clenched his fists, taking a step forward, his dark eyes flashing.
Then he halted, as though implying that he was not thus easily to be
driven into forgetting himself.

"Come along, fellows," urged Dan Dalzell in a low voice. "Mr. Jetson
seems to have no intention either of explaining or of affording other
satisfaction."

"Hold on, Mr. Jetson, you needn't answer him," interposed Darrin quickly,
as Jetson opened his mouth. "First of all this affair seems to concern
me. You've intimated that I'm no friend of yours and not worthy to be
ranked as such. Now, I ask you, fairly and flatly, what has brought your
mind to this pitch? What have I done, or what haven't I done?"

"Search your conscience," jeered Jetson.

"I've been doing so ever since this foolish conversation started, and I
haven't found the answer yet. All I recall, Jetson, is that, at the
outset of my football practice, there was some little unpleasantness
between us. You injured me, twice, in practice play, and I admit that I
was somewhat angry about it at the time. But you gave your word that you
hadn't intended any tricks against