“You know, then, as well as I do, Doctor, that neither of my chums are rowdies, and that, whatever happened to them to-night, they didn’t get to it through any bad habits or conduct?”

“I’m much inclined to agree with you, Mr. Somers.”

“I hope, then, you’ll succeed in impressing all that on Lieutenant Commander Mayhew in the morning.”

With that the submarine boy passed on to the starboard stateroom.  He would have given much to have stepped into the room opposite, but felt, from the doctor’s manner, that the latter did not wish his patients disturbed.

Eph slept little that night.  Though Jack and Hal fared better in that single respect, Somers looked far the best of the three in the morning.

Jack and Hal came out with bandages about their heads, which buzzed and ached.

The two, however, told their story to Somers and Williamson as soon as possible.

“Just as I supposed,” nodded Eph, vigorously.

“Why, how did you guess it all?” asked Benson, in astonishment.

“I mean, I knew you hadn’t been in any low sailor resorts.”

“Who said we had?” demanded Jack, flaring in spite of his dizziness.

“Some of the Navy folks didn’t know but you had,” replied Eph, then bit his tongue for having let that much out of the bag.

Doctor McCrea came aboard early.  He looked the boys over.

“Eat a little toast, if you want, and drink some weak tea,” he suggested.  “After that, eat nothing more until to-night.”

“But the day’s work—?” hinted Jack.

“I don’t know,” replied the doctor, shrugging his shoulders.  “I’m not a line officer, and therefore know nothing about the fleet’s manoeuvres.”

That reply, however, was quite enough to send Jack Benson’s suspicions aloft.

“Eph,” he cried, wheeling upon his friend the moment Doctor McCrea was gone, “there’s something you haven’t told us.”

“Such as—­what?” asked Somers, doing his best to look mighty innocent.

“Doctor McCrea as good as admitted that we won’t have anything to do to-day.  What’s wrong?” Then, after a brief pause:  “Good heavens, does Mr. Mayhew believe we’ve been acting disgracefully?  Are we barred out of the instruction work?”

Hal had been raising a glass of cold water to his lips.  The glass fell, with a crash.  He wheeled about, then clutched at the edge of the cabin table, most unsteadily.

“We-e-ll,” admitted Somers, reluctantly, “Mr. Mayhew said he would want to question you some, perhaps, this morning.”

“What did he say?  Out with it all, Eph!”

A moment before Jack Benson had been pallid enough.  Now, two bright, furious spots burned in either cheek.

The red-haired boy, however, was spared the pain of going any further, for, at that moment, a heavy tread was heard on the spiral staircase.  Then Lieutenant Commander Mayhew, holding himself very erect, one hand resting against the scabbard of the sword that he wore at his side, came into view below.