after taps?" questioned Lieutenant-Commander
Henderson.

"He did, sir."

"Did Mr. Dalzell also deny having been out of quarters after taps?"

"He did, sir."

Lieutenant Adams answered unhesitatingly and unblushingly. In
fact, Lieutenant Adams would have bitten off the tip of his tongue
sooner than have lied intentionally. So firmly convinced had
Adams been that Dan was about to make a denial that now, with
the incident broken in two by the report of the tungsten bulb,
Lieutenant Adams really believed that had so denied. But Dan
had not, and had Dave Darrin been called as a witness he would
been compelled to testify that Dan did not deny being out.

The explosion of the tungsten bulb was too great a puzzle for
either officer to solve. A man was sent with a new bulb, and
so that part of the affair became almost at once forgotten.

Dan finally fell into a genuine sleep, and so did Dave Darrin.
In the morning Dave sought out Midshipman Farley to inquire to whom
the doughface should be returned.

"Give it over to me and I'll take care of it," Farley replied.
"Say, did you hear a tungsten bulb blow up in the night!"

"Did It" echoed Darrin devoutly. Then a sudden suspicion crossed
his mind.

"Say, how did that happen, Farl?" demanded Dave.

"If anyone should ask you-----" began the other midshipman.

"Yes-----?" pressed Darrin.

"Tell 'em---that you don't know," finished Farley tantalizingly,
and vanished.

It was not until long after that Darrin found out the explanation
of the accident to the tungsten bulb. Farley, during Dan's absence,
had been almost as much disturbed as had Dave. So Mr. Farley
was wide awake. When he heard Lieutenant Adams receive the message
in the corridor Farley began to wonder what he could do. Presently
he was made to rise, with Page, stand at attention, and answer
the questions of the discipline officer.

Soon after Dave and Dan were called up, Farley, listening with
his door ajar half an inch, slipped out and hit the tungsten
burner a smart rap just in the nick of time to save Dan Dalzell's
Navy uniform to that young man.

CHAPTER III

BAD NEWS FROM WEST POINT

Bump! The ball, hit squarely by the toe of Wolgast's football
shoe, soared upward from the twenty-five-yard line. It described
an arc, flying neatly over and between the goal-posts at one end
of the athletic field.

"That's the third one for you, Wolly," murmured Jetson. "You're
going to be a