his sense of honor and decency had prompted him to decline it when asked
to vote for an improper person. True to his promise, he made all haste
to expose the conspiracy, as he regarded it, against Carnes.

When the students turned in that night, the wire-pullers had found a
sufficient number of candidates for all the offices on the terms set
forth in the compact, each of whom had promised to use his influence for
the entire ticket. Shuffles had made a very pretty calculation, to the
effect that each of the fifteen candidates could influence at least two
votes besides his own for the ticket, which would inevitably elect it.
But during all this time Paul Kendall had been laboring like a Trojan
for Carnes, and had induced his friends to do the same.

At nine-o'clock in the morning, the polls were opened for the election
of officers. A box was placed on the fife-rail, at the mainmast, in
which the ballots were deposited, under the inspection of Professor
Mapps.

"Have all the students voted?" called the professor, when the voting
was suspended. "If so, I declare the poll closed."

It was a moment of intense excitement on the spar deck of the Young
America when Mr. Lowington stood up on the hatch to announce the vote.
There was a pleasant smile upon his face, which indicated that it would
not be his painful duty to veto the choice of the independent electors.

"Young gentlemen, your balloting appears to have been conducted with
entire fairness," said he, "and I will proceed to declare the result.
Whole number of votes, eighty-seven; necessary to a choice, forty-four.
Paul Kendall has five; Charles Gordon has seven; Robert Shuffles has