“Mr. Crane,” announced the superintendent, “you know, of course, the name of the midshipman who assaulted and knocked you down before the other three midshipmen interfered in the matter?”

“Er—­er—­possibly I do,” confessed Crane, reddening.

“Mr. Crane, if you wish us to deal frankly with you, you must accord the same treatment to the officials of the Naval Academy,” replied the superintendent coldly.

“I—­I—­personally do not desire to press any complaint,” continued young Crane.  “I am sorry that my friends took such a step.”

“Then you consider, Mr. Crane,” pressed the superintendent, “that the knock-down blow you received from a midshipman was in the nature of a merited punishment?”

“I—­I won’t say that,” cried Crane quickly.  “No, sir!  I won’t admit it!”

“Then, as we know that Midshipman Totten was your assailant,” continued the superintendent, “we shall have to place that young man on trial.  We shall be obliged to summon you as a witness at that trial, Mr. Crane.”

“But I have no intention, sir, of appearing as a witness,” blustered that young man.

“Mr. Crane, you can have no choice in the matter.  If we summon you, you can be brought here from any part of the United States.”

“I—­I—­can’t the matter be dropped, sir?” urged the young man anxiously.

“Not unless you confess yourself in the wrong, and exonerate Mr. Totten.  In any other event the case will have to come to trial before a court-martial, and you, Mr. Crane, since we are certain that you possess material evidence, will be forced to appear as a witness.”

Mr. Crane looked almost as uncomfortable as he felt.

“Mr. Totten,” continued the superintendent, “states that you grossly insulted his cousin, a young woman, and that he met you on purpose to avenge that insult.”

“There—­there—­was some trouble about a young woman,” admitted Crane.  “But I am a gentleman, sir.”

“I am not expected to decide the last question that you have raised,” replied the superintendent dryly.  “All that concerns me in the matter is whether you exonerate Mr. Totten, or whether you do not.  If you do not, the midshipman must state his case fully before a court-martial, at which you will be one of the important witnesses.”

“I exonerate Mr. Totten,” replied Crane in a very low tone.

“Do you exonerate him completely?” “Ye-es, sir.”

“Then Mr. Totten’s offense will be reduced to one or two-simple breaches of discipline,” went on the superintendent.

“But see here, sir,” interposed one of the other young men, “are your midshipmen to be allowed to go about pounding whom they like?  Are they to be swashbucklers and bullies?”

“Very decidedly not, sir,” replied the superintendent in a voice almost thunderous.  “The midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy must conduct themselves as gentlemen at all times.”