rescott.,

Captain Abbott nodded his assent.

Picking up the eraser, Dick carefully erased the last two lines
that he had set down.

Then, as though working under a new inspiration, he went ahead
setting down line after line of the demonstration of this difficult
problem. Only once did he halt, and then for not more than thirty
seconds.

Dunstan went through a halting explanation of his problem. Then
Captain Abbott called:

"Mr. Prescott!"

Taking up the short pointer, Dick rattled off the statement of
the problem. Then he plunged into his demonstration, becoming
more and more confident as he progressed.

When he had finished Captain Abbott asked three or four questions.
Dick answered these without hesitation.

"Excellent," nodded the gratified instructor. "That is all, Mr.
Prescott."

As Dick turned to step to his seat he pulled his handkerchief
from the breast of his blouse and wiped the chalk from his hands.
All unseen by himself a narrow slip of white paper fluttered
from underneath his handkerchief to the floor.

"Mr. Prescott," called Captain Abbott, "will you bring me that
piece of paper from the floor?"

Dick obeyed without curiosity, then turned again and gained his
seat. The instructor, in the meantime, had called upon Mr. Pike.
While Pike was reciting, haltingly, Captain Abbott turned over
the slip of paper on his desk, glancing at it with "one of his
pairs of eyes."

Anyone who had been looking at the instructor at that moment would
have noted a slight start and a brief change of color in the captain's
face. But he said nothing until all of the cadets had recited
and had been marked.

"Mr. Prescott!" the instructor then called Dick rose, standing
by his seat.

"Mr. Prescott, did you work out your problem for today unaided?"

"I had a little aid, last night, sir, from Mr. Anstey."

"But you had no aid in the section room today?"

"No, sir," replied Dick, feeling much puzzled.

"You understand my question, Mr. Prescott?"

"I think so, sir."

"In putting down your demonstration on the blackboard today you had
no aid whatever?"

"None whatever, sir."

"At one stage, Air. Prescott, you hesitated, waited, then asked
permission to erase? After that erasure you went on with hardly
a break to the end of the blackboard work."

"Yes, sir."

"And, at the time you hesitated, before securing leave to erase, you
did not consult any aid in your work?"

"No, sir."

"This piece