“At first blush,” returned Greg, “some of you may not like the job.  It is nothing more nor less than a visit to Dodge’s room, while he and Blayton are absent at the hop.”

“It is an extreme measure, surely,” murmured Dunstan.

Anstey remained silent, waiting for further particulars.

“What I would call to your attention,” went on Greg, “is that my roommate, old ramrod, was nearly bounced out of West Point for something he never did.  I believe, and probably you all do, that Mr. Dodge played an evil and guilty part in what became nearly a tragedy.”

“I wouldn’t put anything mean beyond Dodge,” replied Furlong.

“Now, I believe I can take you to Dodge’s room.  Both he and Brayton are absent at the hop.  Brayton has always been a decent fellow, I don’t believe he admires Dodge any too much, but he has to put up with his roommate.  Now, in that room I hope to find evidence which will prove that Dodge is not fit to be a member the corps of United States Military Academy cadets.  Will you come with me and look for the proof?”

“I suhtinly will, suh,” replied the Virginian promptly.

“If Anstey will go on a job like that,” muttered Dunstan, “then I guess it’s a proper undertaking for gentlemen.”

“I thank you, suh,” nodded the Virginian gravely.

“Then come along, all hands,” begged Greg.  “If we find anything of the sort that I expect to, then there will be witnesses enough to prove the find to the satisfaction of the class and of the corps.”

Feeling like so many conspirators, this committee of five moved along to Dodge’s room.  Greg went a little ahead and tapped.  Had Dodge been there it would not have interfered seriously with his plans.  But there was no answer, so Holmes pushed open the door, turning the gas half on and lighting it.

“This afternoon,” declared Greg, “I dropped a stub of a pencil in our room.  It fell on the bricks of the floor of the fireplace, and rolled into the space between two of the bricks.  In getting that pencil out I got on the back of my hand the smear that you all saw.

“Fellows, I’ve been thinking for weeks and months about that smear on the back of Mr. Dodge’s hand.  When I saw the one on the back of my own hand it occurred to me at once how Mr. Dodge might have got that black spot on his hand.  It came over me, all in a flash.  I knew that Brayton and Mr. Dodge would be out of the way this evening at the hop.  Dodge has a hiding place somewhere in this room.  From the past history of the Academy we know that favorite hiding places have always been under the bricks of the fireplaces.  For use in the winter time the hiding place must be in the outer edge of the brick flooring, close up to where it joins the boards.  In such a hiding place the fire wouldn’t harm the hidden objects.  Now, some of you might help me to see what we can find.”

Anstey, with a gravely judicial air, knelt beside Holmes.  Together they tapped back and forth over the bricks with rulers taken from the study tables.