"Say nothing, but hold up your head and smile. Don't let anyone
face you down. Not ten fellows in the corps will even guess that
you could possibly be guilty of anything mean!"

Wouldn't they? West Point cadets have such an utter contempt
for anything savoring of cheating or lying that the mere suspicion
is often enough to make them hold back.

As the cadets moved to their places in the formations scores of
cadets passed Prescott.

Short as the time had been, the news was already flying through
the corps.

Usually Dick had a score of greetings as made his way to his place
in line. Today dozen cadets who had been among his friends seemed
not to see him.

Dick recoiled, inwardly, as though from a stinging blow in the
face. None of his comrades meant to be cruel. But most of them
wanted to make sure that the seemingly reliable charge was not
true. They must wait.

Utterly dejected, Prescott marched to dinner. On his way back
to barracks a new and overwhelming thought came to him.

Laura Bentley and her mother, and Belle Meade were due at the
hotel the next afternoon, and he and Greg had arranged to drag
the girls to the Saturday-night hop.