“Because he tried to blacken mine,” retorted Dodge boldly.

“He didn’t.  All he did, at the court-martial, was to explain the adventures of his handkerchief just before that piece of paper fell to the floor of the section room.”

“Wasn’t that an insinuation against me?” demanded Cadet Dodge.

“Not unless your character here is on such a very poor foundation that it can’t stand any suspicions,” replied Furlong coldly.  “Now, see here, Dodge, the general review is on, and Prescott can’t spare any time on private rows.  After the general review is over, if I hear any more about your roasting Prescott, I’m going to call on you to go with me to Prescott’s presence, and repeat your statements to his face.  I don’t want to stir up any needless personal trouble, Dodge, but I declare myself now as one of old ramrod’s friends.  Any slander against him must be backed up.  I trust you will pardon my having been so explicit.”

Furlong turned on his heel, striding away.  The cadets to whom Dodge had been talking bitterly looked at Bert curiously.  A good many men in the corps would have promptly resented such remarks as Furlong’s, and to the limit, by calling him out.

“Queer how many friends, of some kinds, a fellow like Prescott can have,” laughed Dodge sneeringly.

“Not at all,” spoke up one of Dodge’s listeners.  “Everyone always knows where Prescott stands, and he’ll back up anything he says.  Furlong is another man of the same stamp.”

With that the last speaker turned on his heel and walked away.

For some days after that, Bert Dodge was more careful of his utterances.

The general reviews came and passed.  By sheer hard, undistracted work, both Dick and Greg succeeded in pulling through without having to go up for writs.  For some reason Dodge did not do quite as well in the general review, and was forced to drop down a couple of sections.  He still stood well, however, in math.

In the next week after the dangerous examination period Dick Prescott began to forge upwards in mathematics.  He was now in the section fourth removed from the goats, and Greg was up in the section next above the goats.

On the afternoon of the Friday when the markings had been posted Dodge met Dennison, also of the yearling class.

“Say, what do you think, Dodge, of Prescott beginning to shoot up through the sections toward you?  He’ll soon be marching at your side when math. is called.”

“He’ll bear watching,” nodded Dodge sagely.

“That’s what I feel about it,” replied Dennison.

“Prescott isn’t the kind of man who can climb high in mathematics, and do it honestly,” continued Dodge.  “Either he has the old crib at work again, or has hit on a safer way of working crib.”

“Of course he has,” nodded Dennison.  “We ought to post the class—–­especially Prescott own section comrades.  They can catch him, if they’re sharp, and then pass the word through the class without bothering the authorities.  If Prescott is doing such things he must be driven from West Point.”