my head."

"I wish you luck, Bates. But I'm afraid you've shot off your
only round of ammunition, and have found it a blank charge. Good
night."

"Good night, sir."

"Mr. Prescott was clever enough to prevent my pouncing on Mr.
Holmes at the reveille gun tonight," mused the O.C. "I can hardly
suspect Mr. Prescott of untruthfulness, but I wonder whether he
has been clever enough to baffle me in this monument affair, without
telling an absolute untruth?"

For nearly a half an hour the O.C. lay awake, reviewing the method
he had followed in questioning Cadet Prescott.

In the morning, after breakfast, there were a few minutes of leisure
in camp before the squads or platoons marched away for the first
drills.

"You were on the grill, last night, old ramrod?" asked Furlong, in
a chuckling whisper.

"Yes," Dick nodded.

"You couldn't tell anything?"

"I knew less than nothing to tell."