Thrice during the dinner period Dick allowed his glance to rove over to the turnback.  Not once did he catch Haynes’s eye, but that young man was making only a pretence at eating.

“If he really pushed me from the train,” muttered Prescott to himself, “I hope Haynes worries about it until he fesses cold in some study and so has to leave the Military Academy.  For he’ll never be fit to be an officer.  He couldn’t command other men with justice.”

CHAPTER XVII

MR. CADET SLOWPOKE

Despite the fact that he had been through the first half of the year before, Haynes actually did go somewhat stale in some of the studies.

Some of the cadets who lived near enough were permitted to go home at the Christmas holidays, and the turnback was among this number.

Yet Haynes came back.  In the January examinations he stood badly, getting place rather near the foot of the second class.  Yet he pulled through and retained his place in the corps.

Dick and Greg, who did not go home over the holidays, both did fairly well in January.  Each secured a number not far above the bottom of the second third of the class.

On Washington’s Birthday, the cadets had a holiday after dinner.

The day, however, was ten-fold joyous for Dick, because Mrs. Bentley, Laura and Belle Meade were expected on the afternoon of that day, the girls to attend the cadet hop at Cullum Hall in the evening.

Dick and Greg, in their spooniest uniforms, were at the railway station to meet the visitors.

“Quick!” cried Mrs. Bentley, after the greetings were over.  “There’s the stage, and its about to start.  We’ll all get seats in it.”

“If that is the programme, Mrs. Bentley,” laughed Dick, “Greg and I will have to overtake you, later on, on foot.  Cadets are not allowed to ride in the stage.

“Can’t you telephone for a carriage, then?” inquired Mrs. Bentley.

“Certainly, and with pleasure, but cadets may not ride in a carriage, either.”

“Oh, you poor cadets!” cried Mrs. Bentley.  “To think of your having to climb that steep road ahead.  And its ever so long, too!”

“You get in the stage, mother, and Belle and I will walk up the road with Dick and Greg,” proposed Laura Bentley.

So the two cadets busied themselves with assisting Mrs. Bentley into the stage, after which they returned to their fair friends.

“Now, I have trouble in store for you two young men,” declared Belle Meade, frowning.  “Why did you young men conspire to beat the Navy at football?”

“For the honor and glory of the Army,” replied Dick, smiling.

“To put humiliation over your old chums, Dave and Dan,” flashed Belle.  “Laura and I were down at Annapolis, at a hop last month, as you may have heard.  Poor Dave hasn’t yet recovered from the blow of seeing the Navy lose that game to the Army!”