se.

"Thank you, sir," Hal replied.

The inquiry was soon over and proved as resultless as that made alone by
Lieutenant Greg Holmes in the middle of the night. The officers left and
the men prepared to hasten out for breakfast formation.

"I never thought Overton would do a trick like that," remarked a low
voice behind the young corporal, but Hal heard it.

"Oh, you can't tell. Sometimes these quiet fellows are the worst. Still
waters run deep, you know."

"I suppose other fellows in the squad room are thinking the same,"
thought Hal, his heart throbbing with pain.

He more than half guessed the truth--that the seed of suspicion against
him was already sown--that henceforth he would be watched by nearly all
eyes.

CHAPTER IV

LIEUTENANT ALGY'S INSPIRATION

LIEUTENANT ALGY FERRERS, the picture of dejection, sat staring across
his rather tiny parlor in bachelor quarters at smiling Lieutenant
Prescott.

"I thought the Army was a place for gentlemen," murmured Algy aghast.

"At last accounts it was, and I believe still is," replied the West
Pointer, with a smile.

"But consider that beastly schedule of the day's work that you've been
explaining to me!"

"What's wrong with it?" asked Lieutenant Prescott patiently.

"What's first--what did you call it?"

"First call to reveille, at 5.50 in the morning?"

"Yes; what an utterly impossible time for any gentleman to be out of
bed. Unless," added Algy with a sudden bright thought, "he stays up
until then, and goes to bed after the beastly row is over."

"That would hardly do, I'm afraid," Lieutenant Prescott laughed softly.
"You see, the day is full of duties. Now, sharp at six the march----"

"March? At six in the morning?" gasped Algy Ferrers, his despair
increasing by leaps and bounds. "Man alive, I wouldn't feel like
crawling--at that time!"

"The term has confused you," replied Prescott. "It's the musician of the
guard--the bugler--who plays the march. It's a strain that is played,
the first note beginning just as the reveille gun is fired, at the
minute of six in the morning. Then, just five minutes later reveille
itself is blown."

"All that racket will wake me up mornings," complained Algy sadly.

"It ought to, for it's an officer's business to be up by that time."

"Good heavens!" groaned Algy. "Say, 'pon my word, I'll hate to have any
soldiers see me when I'm looking as seedy as I'll look at that time of
the day."

"You won't see t