Dick had to deliberate, swiftly, as to whether he should say anything
about having loaned Mr. Dodge his handkerchief briefly.

"I reckon I must speak of it," decided the unhappy cadet. "I
mean to have Dodge summoned, if I'm tried, so I may as well speak
of it now."

That, and other things, Dick stated. The K.C. listened gravely.
It was plain from the officer's manner that he believed Prescott
was going to have difficulty in establishing his innocence.

"That is all, Mr. Prescott," said the K.C. finally. Dick saluted
and returned to his room.

In the few minutes that had elapsed, Anstey had done much. In the
room were a dozen yearlings who were known to be among Dick's best
friends. All shock his hand, assuring him that nothing could shake
their faith in him. It was comforting, but that was all.

"You see, old ramrod," muttered Greg, when the callers had left,
"there are enough who believe in you. Now, you've got to justify
that faith by hammering this charge into nothingness. Someone
has committed a crime---a moral crime anyway. In my own mind
Dodge is the criminal but I'm not yet prepared to prove it."

In the meantime Cadet Albert Dodge was over in the K.C.'s office,
undergoing a rigid questioning. Dodge freely admitted the episode
of handkerchief borrowing but denied any further knowledge.

When Bert returned to barracks he was most bitter against Dick.
To all who would listen to him Dodge freely stated his opinion
of a man who would seek to shield his own wrong-doing by throwing
suspicion on another.

"There were plenty who saw me borrow the handkerchief," contended
Dodge stormily. "Whoever saw me take it also saw me return it.
I'll defy any man to state, under oath, that I returned more
than the handkerchief."

"How did the smear happen to be on your hand?" asked Dunstan,
who, besides belonging to the same mathematics section with Prescott
was also a warm personal friend.

Bert hesitated, looked uneasy, then replied:

"How about the smear? Why---I don't know It may have come from
a match."

"Yes, what about that smear? How did it come there?" cried Greg,
when Dunstan repeated Dodge's words.

Through Greg's mind, for hours after that, the question insistently
intruded itself:

"How about that smear?"

Yet the question seemed to lead to nothing.

The next morning, Saturday, it was known, throughout cadet barracks,
that a general court-martial order for Prescott would be published
t