Waving his arms wildly in the heat of his anger, Midshipman Jetson hurried from the room, midshipmen moving aside to favor his swift exit.

Hardly had the door banged when from all parts of the room the cry went up: 

“Question! question!  Put the motion.”

“Mr. President!”

“Mr. Darrin.”

“I arise, sir, to discuss the motion.  I ask the gentlemen of the class to bear with me patiently while I set forth some of the aspects of this matter as I see them.

“At the very outset, sir, I wish to make it as plain as possible that I do not seek to stand here as the apologist for Mr. Jetson.  I feel very certain that he would not authorize me to take that position.  What I state I am stating on my own authority purely, and therein I am only exercising my right as a member of the second class.

“I would remind you, sir, that you all know, as well as I do, that Mr. Jetson has always borne an honorable reputation in this class and in the brigade.  You all know his leading traits as well as I do.  Mr. Jetson is a man of quick temper and rather lasting resentments.  There is a good deal of sullenness in his nature—­”

“And they’re not the best qualities in a man who is being trained to command!” broke in a midshipman at the rear of the room.

“As to whether Mr. Jetson will be, by graduation time, well fitted to command men,” Dave answered, “is not a question that this class is called upon to pass on.  That question rests with the faculty of the Naval Academy.  I am trying to get you to look at this matter only from the personal and the class point of view.  Doubtless you all feel that Mr. Jetson is the victim of an unhappy temper.  You would punish this frame of mind.  Yet I ask you, bluntly, who among you have ever tried to aid Mr. Jetson in overcoming his own peculiar style of temper?  If there is one among you who has made such attempt at aid, I ask that gentleman to stand until he can be recognized.”

Dave made a pause, glancing around him, but no midshipman rose.

“Now, sir,” continued Dave Darrin, “if we, as a class, take hasty and unwise action, it is quite possible that we may be depriving the United States Navy of a future officer who would be most valuable to his country in time of need.  Have we the right to punish when we are forced to admit that none of us has ever attempted to help Mr. Jetson to escape from the fruits of his temperament?  Mr. President, how would you attempt to extinguish a fire?  By fanning it?  Yet, when a member of this class is smouldering in his own wrath, it is proposed to meet his sullenness by casting him out of our friendship.  Do we not owe some duty to our country in this matter?  Mr. Jetson is one of our capable students in this brigade, and if he be given a fair chance to graduate, he is likely to become a Naval officer of merit.  Do we desire to take upon ourselves the probable smothering of such a Naval career?  Mr. President, and you,