"Mr. Drake, was this the man you saw last night?" shouted the commandant angrily to Robert.
Before he had finished his question, Stonewell said quickly to his brother, in a low imperative tone: "Acknowledge it, Frank. Don't force Drake either to refuse to answer or to tell on you."
"I was the man, I acknowledge it," quickly interposed Frank Stonewell.
"You are a brother to be proud of, aren't you?" announced the commandant scornfully. "In your brother's absence, donning his uniform, you committed a despicable act, trusting if caught that his uniform and the marked resemblance you bear to him would throw the blame and shame on him."
"Not at all, captain," replied Frank Stonewell, in an easy manner as one talking socially with a friend; and it was a sharp contrast to the deference and crisp military replies of the others. "Not at all; you mistake the purpose of my wearing his uniform. It was to permit me to be about the grounds and buildings at night; as a civilian the watchmen would have fired me out; but rigged up in this way I would never be questioned. And as for throwing blame or shame on him; before he came for me this morning I knew I might have been seen and mistaken for him. No blame could come to him because I have been ready to acknowledge the facts."
"You are brazen, sir; you have done a shameful deed, you have disgraced your brother. But I am glad to know that the shame I thought was his belongs to you. I am indeed relieved to know he is guiltless. I pity him for the burden of disgrace in having such a brother."
"Pardon me, captain. This is something of an academic question. What may be shameful for John or any other midshipman is not necessarily so to a civilian owing no allegiance to your Naval Academy. I have never lied or cheated, I have never broken a promise—I have never done a dishonorable act. I admit having engaged in some quiet larks at college, and other places—this is one of them, that's all."
"You are a burglar; you could be sent to prison."
"Oh, I think not, captain; I think you'd have hard work to convince any jury of that."