“Yes, sir.”

“Mr. Crabtree, what Ritter says is untrue!” burst out Jack.  “He hit me first.”

“But you have been fighting?  You, the major of the school battalion!  Disgraceful!”

“Wouldn’t you fight if somebody slapped you in the face?” demanded Jack, hotly.

“You know the rules, Ruddy—­and as major you ought to be the first to obey them.”

“I am willing to do that, sir.  But I won’t allow anybody to slap me in the face.”

“I didn’t slap him,” put in Ritter.

“Yes, you did,” came from Pepper.

“It is true—­I saw it,” added Fred.

“So did I,” added a cadet named Brown.

“If you were struck, Major Ruddy, it was your duty to report the occurrence at the office,” said Josiah Crabtree, loftily.  “Such actions as these will most likely cost you your command.”

“Oh, what a shame!” burst out Pepper.

“Ditmore, I want no words from you!” roared the head teacher, savagely.

“But it wouldn’t be fair to make Jack suffer for something like that,” went on Pepper, bound to stick up for his chum.

“Ha! you dare to talk back to me, Ditmore!  Go to your room at once, and stay there until to-morrow morning.”

“But, Mr. Crabtree——­”

“Not another word.  Go to your room.  And you, Ruddy and Ritter, report to me and to Captain Putnam at the private office at once.”

There was no help for it, and with an angry look on his face, Pepper left the gymnasium and walked over to the school building.

“I’ll report as soon as I have washed up, Mr. Crabtree,” said Ritter, sullenly.

“So will I,” added Jack.

“I’ll give you both ten minutes, no more!” snapped the teacher, and then he strode from the gymnasium as swiftly as he had entered it.

As soon as Josiah Crabtree had departed a lively discussion commenced between the followers of the young major and of Reff Ritter.  Only a few had seen the start of the quarrel and knew that it had been provoked entirely by the bully.

“I’m afraid I am in for it,” said Jack, dismally, to Fred.  “Ritter will do his best to make out that it was all my fault.”

“Well, I can testify that Ritter hit you first, and Pepper and Brown can do so, too,” answered Fred.

“Reff will get Coulter and Paxton to back him up.”

“But they weren’t on hand when the quarrel started.”

“That is true—­but they’ll stick up for Reff, see if they don’t.”

“I sincerely trust that Captain Putnam doesn’t take away your majorship, Jack.”

“If he does that, I’ll—­well, never mind what I’ll do.”

“If he did it to me, I’d feel like leaving.”

“I was going to say that.  But I’ll not do anything hastily,” answered the young major, and heaved a deep sigh.

“Want me to go along?”

“No, since Crabtree didn’t ask any one.  But I wish you’d hang around, so I can call on you.”