's way, it would make the class feel that you had deliberately
trapped the man, after having spied on his actions earlier in
the evening."

Dick remained silent, but Lieutenant Denton was a clear headed
and logical guesser.

"In my cadet days," smiled the lieutenant, "such a suspicion against
a cadet officer would certainly have resulted in ostracism for him."

"Now, Prescott," asked the officer in charge, leaning over and
resting a friendly hand on the cadet's arm, "you feel that you
have been, throughout, a gentleman and a good soldier, and that
you have not done anything sneaky?"

"That is my opinion of myself, Mr. Denton."

"And yet, feeling that your course has been wholly honorable,
you are going to throw up your career in the Army, and waste some
twenty thousand dollars of the nation's money that has been expended
in giving you your training here?"

"It sounds like a fearful thing to do, Mr. Denton, but I can see
no way out of it, sir. If I am to go on into the Army, and be
an ostracized officer, I should be of no value to myself or to
the service. Wherever I should go, my usefulness would be gone
and my presence demoralizing."

"Now, if that ostracism continued, your usefulness would be gone,
Prescott, beyond a doubt, and the Army would be better off without
you. But if justice should triumph, later, you would be restored
to your full usefulness, and to the full enjoyment of your career.
Now, Prescott, my boy"---here the officer's voice became tender,
friendly, earnest---"you have been attending chapel every Sunday?"

"Yes, sir."

"You have listened to the chaplain's discourses, and I take it
that you have had earlier religious instruction, also. Prescott,
do you or do you not believe that there is a God above who sees
all, loves all and rights all injustice in His own good time?"

"Assuredly I believe it, sir."

"And yet, in your own case, you have so little faith in that justice
that, though you feel your course has been honorable, you cannot
wait for justice to be done. Prescott, isn't that kind of faith
almost blasphemy?"

Dick felt staggered. Although his lot had been cast with Army
officers for more than three years, he had never heard any of
them, save the chaplain, discuss matters of Christian faith.
Yet he knew that Denton, who sat beside him, smiling with friendly
eyes, was talking from full conviction.

"You've made me see my present predicament in a somewhat different
light,