Turning to a young woman standing nearby, Bert spoke to her, and they laughed and chatted.  From her, Bert passed through the room nodding here, chatting there.

Dick and Greg, after the first look of amazement, followed by their cold bows, had turned to the old friends with whom they had been chatting.

In the course of a few minutes Bert Dodge had got along close to the two cadets.

“How are you, Prescott?” called Bert.  “How is good old West Point?  And you, Holmes—–­how are you?”

Dodge held out his hand with all the effrontery of which he was capable.

Turning, Dick gave the sneak only a cold, steady look.

CHAPTER II

BRASS MEETS GOLD

Neither Dick nor Greg took the trouble to answer the greeting.  Dodge’s outstretched hand both cadets affected not to see.

As it happened, few of the others present noted this brief little scene.

A natural break in the crowd left Dick alone for the moment, with Holmes standing not far away and looking coldly in the direction of the ex-cadet, yet not appearing to see him at all.

“Well, what’s the matter?” hissed Dodge in an undertone that the other guests did not hear.  “Are you going to make a fool of yourself, Prescott?”

“You’d better execute a right-about face and make double-time away from here,” replied Dick in a freezing undertone.  “Otherwise I don’t believe the guests will fail to observe how West Pointers regard a convicted sneak.”

“Are you going to open your mouth and do a lot of talking?” whispered Dodge menacingly.  “Or are you going to keep your tongue behind your teeth?”

“I can’t undertake to lower myself by making any promises to a sneak,” retorted Dick, still in an undertone.  “But I warn you that any further conversation I have with you will be carried on in ordinary conversational tones.  And if you undertake to remain, we shall be obliged to inform our hostess that we regret our inability to stay any longer.”

Conscious that others were probably looking their way, Bert Dodge tried to make his face as expressionless as possible.

“See here, Prescott-----” the fellow began coaxingly.

But Dick turned and walked away.  Greg, very stiff and straight, moved at his friend’s side.

Afraid of what others might notice, Dodge passed on.  He presently reached a door leading into the hallway.  Here he remained briefly.  Then, when he believed himself to be unobserved, he slipped out, took his hat and got away.

A few minutes later, as Dick and Greg passed the door of a little reception room, Susie Sharp called them in quietly.  They found her there alone.

“Oh, Mr. Prescott!  Mr. Holmes!  Have I made any mistake, I thought it would be a pleasant surprise to you both if I had Mr. Dodge here to meet you, as you all three were classmates at West Point.  But I should have remembered that in the old High School days you two and Mr. Dodge were not the best of friends.”