n sweet
will."

"What are you trying to do?" laughed Farley. "Are you trying to fan
up the embers of my wrath against Darrin?"

"Such embers shouldn't need much fanning," retorted Mr. Henkel coolly.
"Surely, you are not going to let the dead dog lie?"

"Darrin and I fought the matter out, and he had the good fortune
to win the appeal to force," replied Plebe Farley stiffly. "I
don't associate with him now, and don't expect to, later on, if
we both graduate into the Navy."

"That satisfies your notions of honor, does it, with regard to
a man who not only injured you, but pounded your face to a fearful
pulp?"

Henkel's tone as he put the question, was one of bitter irony.

"Do you know," demanded Farley, rising, his face now flushing
painfully, "I don't wholly like your tone."

"Forget it, then," begged Henkel. "I don't mean to be offensive
to you, Farley. I haven't the least thought in the world like
that. But I take this whole Darrin business so bitterly to heart
that I suppose I am unable to comprehend how you can be so meek
about it."

"Meek?" cried Farley. "What do you mean by that word?"

"Well, see here," went on Henkel coaxingly, "are we men of spirit,
or are we not? We fellows devise a little outing in the town
of Annapolis. It's harmless enough, though it happens to be against
the rules in the little blue book. We are indiscreet enough to
let Darrin in on the trick, and he pipes the whole lay off to
some one. Result--we are 'ragged' and fifty 'dems.' apiece.
When you accuse Darrin of his mean work he gives you the lie.
True, you show spirit enough to fight him for it, but the fight
turns out to be simply more amusement for him. Now, I've been
thinking over this thing and I can't rest until the mean work
is squared. But I find you, who suffered further indignities
under Darrin's fists, quite content to let the matter rest. That's
why I am astonished, and why I say so frankly."

Having delivered this harangue with an air of patient justice,
Henkel seated himself with one leg thrown over the edge of the
study table, waiting to hear what Farley could say in reply.
"Well, what do you plan to do further in the matter?" insisted
Midshipman Farley.

"To get square with Darrin!"

"How?"

"Well, now see here, Farley, and you, too, Page, what has happened?
At first we had the class pretty sore against Darrin for getting our
crowd ragged. Since the fight, however, in which you were pummeled