"Before putting the motion," continued the chair, "I desire to ask Mr.
Jetson if he has fully considered his statement and the revised position that he has taken? Since the matter affects the entire brigade, and not this single cla.s.s, I feel that there should be no doubt, or any question to be raised later."
"Mr. President," announced Jetson, when he had secured recognition, "I have retracted any offensive words that I may have uttered. I have attempted no justification of any of my words, but have made flat apology."
"Three cheers for Jet!" shouted one impulsive midshipman.
"Any remarks?" questioned the chair.
"Mr. President!"
"Mr. Darrin."
"I do not see how Mr. Jetson"s retraction or apology could be made any more explicit. I trust to see Mr. Farley"s motion, seconded by Mr. Page, put to the vote and carried at once. I am wholly aware that I have incurred the cla.s.s"s displeasure (cries of "no! no!") but I urge that whatever action may be taken regarding myself be deferred until after Mr.
Jetson has been restored to the fullest measure of cla.s.s and brigade fellowship."
"Any further remarks?" questioned the cla.s.s president, when Darrin had seated himself. "If not, I will state the motion."
A few "nays" succeeded the great chorus of "ayes," and the motion of Coventry for Jetson was declared tabled.
"Any further action?" demanded the chair.
"Move we adjourn!" called Farley.
"Second the motion!" seconded Page.
The motion was put and carried without dissent Then, amid the greatest jollity, the meeting was declared adjourned.
There was a rush of at least twenty men to shake hands with Jetson, who, with flushed but pleased face, bore his honors as modestly as he could.
"What on earth came over you, Jet?" demanded Joyce bluntly.
"It would be a long story about Darrin," replied Midshipman Jetson. "He had the grace to show me that I was a const.i.tutional a.s.s, with perhaps some slight chance of being reborn. To make it short, Darrin persuaded me to come before the cla.s.s, eat humble pie and set myself right with myself, even if I couldn"t with the cla.s.s."
"It was beautifully done, Jet," murmured Page, who was tremendously grateful at seeing Dave Darrin rescued from sacrificing himself to a principle.
"If any of you fellows catch me in the sulks hereafter," spoke up Jetson, though he winced as he said it, "I hope the man who catches me will do me the very great favor of pa.s.sing me a few sound kicks before others have a chance to catch me to the bad."
"Bully for you--you"re all right, Jet!" called several warmly.
Fully half of the cla.s.s members had left the room by this time. Dan Dalzell, who had been thunderstruck, and who was now full of questions, was being urged out of the room by Dave.
"So Darry converted you, did he?" laughed Joyce. "Bully for Darry. Why, that great and good fellow dared the cla.s.s to send him to Coventry after it got through with you. He accused the cla.s.s of kicking a man without giving that man a chance to get up on his feet."
"It"s a good deal like Darrin," remarked Jetson, his eyes a trifle misty, "though it took me a thundering long time to realize that Darrin was really of that kind."
"How did it happen, any way?" insisted Farley.
"You"ve heard nothing about it?"
"Not a word--not a hint," protested Page eagerly.
There were less than twenty of the midshipmen now remaining in the room, so Jetson did not feel as embarra.s.sed as he might have done had he been called upon to give the recital before a cla.s.s meeting. He told his listeners the story of Dave"s splendid conduct in the gym.
that afternoon, and of the talk that had followed the reconciliation of the enemies.
"That was like good old Darry again," remarked Farley proudly. "No fellow has a warmer temper than Darry when he"s aroused to righteous anger, but no fellow has a more generous temper at all times."
"Let"s go down and jump in on Darry, all hands!" proposed Joyce.
"Listen!" warned Farley.
Study call! That took the young men hastily to their regular academic duties.
"One thing this business has done," remarked Midshipman Farley, looking up from his books.
"I"ll be the goat," murmured Page.
"Darry has always been somewhat the leader of the cla.s.s, ever since the fellows began to find him out, back in the first year here. But this last business has boosted Dave Darrin unmistakably and solidly now into the post of leader of the cla.s.s."
"We"re safe, then!" retorted Page. "Darry won"t lead us into any trouble!"
The realization that Midshipman Dave Darrin was a.s.sured leader of the second cla.s.s was not long in coming to most of the other men of the cla.s.s.
Yet Dave did not seek the post, nor did he attempt to do any actual leading. He still considered himself as possessing one voice, and one only, in the cla.s.s councils.
If Dave was leader, Dan Dalzell, both by reflected glory and by virtue of his own sterling merits as well, shared the leadership with Dave to a great extent. Dan"s power might have gone further than it did had it not been for the fact that he was so full of mischief as to leave his comrades often in doubt as to whether he were really serious in what he said and did.
CHAPTER XXIII
"BAGGED," AND NO MISTAKE
"Plebes Flint and Austin are having a good many callers," remarked Dave Darrin, halting by the door of quarters before he and Dan entered.
"Sure! Aren"t you wise?" inquired Dan, with a wink.
"I think so," murmured Dave. "The callers all seem to be third cla.s.smen."
"Of course; they"re putting the rookies through their paces."
"Surest thing!" murmured Dalzell without excitement.
"But this is March. Isn"t it a rather late time in the year to be still hounding the poor new men?"
"I don"t know," mused Dalzell. "It may be that Mr. Flint and Mr. Austin are unusually touge."