l that I'd like to fight the fellow myself!" declared Dan Dalzell
hotly.
"Oh, no, you don't; for Treadwell apologized to-night, and we have
shaken hands. We're all comrades, you know, Danny boy."
* * * * *
Unknown to any of the parties to the fight, there had been spectators of
the spirited double battle.
Two men, a sailor and a marine, noting groups of midshipmen going toward
the historic battle ground of midshipmen, had hidden themselves near-by
in order "to see the fun."
These two enlisted men of the Navy had been spectators and auditors of
all that had taken place.
Not until the last midshipman had left the ground did the sailor and
marine emerge from their hiding place.
"Well, of all the game fights!" muttered the marine.
"Me? I'm hoping that some day I fight under that gallant middy," cried
the sailor.
"Who is this Mr. Darrin?" asked the marine, as the pair strolled away.
"He's a youngster--third classman. But he's one of the chaps who, on
the cruise, last summer, went over into a gale after another
middy--Darrin and his chum did it."
"There must be fine stuff in Mr. Darrin," murmured the marine.
"Couldn't you see that much just now?" demanded the sailor, who took the
remark as almost a personal affront, "My hat's off to Mr. Darrin. He's
one of our future admirals. If I round out my days in the service it
will be the height of my ambition to have him for my admiral. And a
mighty sea-going officer he'll be, at that!"
In their enthusiasm over the spectacle they had seen, the sailor and the
marine talked rather too much.
They were still talking over the battle as they strolled slowly past one
of the great, darkened buildings.
In the shadow of this building, not far away, stood an officer whom
neither of the enlisted men of the Navy saw; else they would have
saluted him.
That officer, Lieutenant Willow, U.S. Navy, listened with a good deal of
interest.
Mr. Willow was one of those officers who are known as duty-mad. He
gathered that there had been a fight, so he deemed it his duty to
report the fact at once to the discipline officer in charge over at
Bancroft Hall.
Regretting the necessity, yet full of the idea of doing his duty,
Lieutenant Willow wended his way promptly towards the office of the
officer in charge.
CHAPTER XIX
THE OFFICER IN CHARGE IS SHOCKED
Through the main entrance of Bancroft Hall, into the stately corridor,
Li
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